Serenity
by hyper13
Summary: The child arches her brow. "I didn't come for an autograph. Hockey is a vile, violent sport." She sniffs, and Derek's reminded of… "Hey, kid, where are your parents?" "My name is Serenity," she starts, pausing and eyeing him. Whatever she's looking for in his expression, she doesn't find it. "Serenity Venturi." Or, the one where Casey keeps the kid hidden from Derek.
1. Chapter 1

Derek opens the door and standing on the other side is a girl of about eight or nine. She reminds him a little of Marti, but only distantly. She's tall (unless he miscalculated her age), long brown hair hangs down to her waist, and sharp brown eyes peer up at him. "Are you Mr. Derek Venturi?" She asks, formally.

"Uhhh," he blinks. Leaning forward, he peers out into the hallway of his apartment building, looking for an adult or… well, he's not really sure. "Yeah, kid, but it's not cool to be coming to somebody's apartment asking for autographs."

The child arches her brow. "I didn't come for an autograph. Hockey is a vile, violent sport." She sniffs, and Derek's reminded of…

"Hey, kid, where are your parents?"

"Well…" She rocks on her feet. That's when he notices the suitcase. "May I come in?"

"Didn't your mother teach you it's not smart to go into stranger's houses?" She nods.

"I have a matter to discuss with you, and I think it best if we talk about it indoors." He's not sure what prompts him to do it, but he sighs and moves aside. The girl walks in, dragging her rolling suitcase behind her. Pausing in the interior and taking a look around the room.

He gestures toward the living room, and she takes a seat on the loveseat. He falls into his recliner but doesn't kick it up. What if the kid is here to rob him, or something?

"My name is Serenity," she starts, pausing and eyeing him. Whatever she's looking for in his expression, she doesn't find it. "Serenity Venturi."

He blinks. "Ed had a kid?" Serenity shakes her head. Derek feels a moment of intense panic, "Marti?!" The brow goes up again, and once more he's reminded of… He moves on from that train of thought. "Dad and Nora…?"

Now Serenity looks disgusted. "Grandma and Grandpa? Gross. They're too old." Derek is inclined to agree, but that would mean…

"There are other Venturi's in the world," he points out, but she's digging in the front pocket of her suitcase, and pulling out a folder.

"Here."

With shaking hands, Derek accepts the folder. His own eye quirks upward, and she smirks. He's seen that smirk before-hell, he invented that smirk. He opens the envelope and pulls out the contents.

There's a smaller envelope in there, and he goes to open it up, but she clears her throat. "Those are, uh, baby pictures and stuff." She looks unsure but recovers quickly. "I'm not sure you're ready for those, yet." He takes her word for it. He finds a separate picture; it's him with his attention entirely focused on her as she smiled brightly at the camera.

He doesn't realize it at first, but he's breathing her name. It was the first time in years that he's said his stepsister's name and it hurts just like it used to. "I have a kid." Then, rather angrily, he says, "And no one thought to tell me?"

He forgets about the contents of the rest of the letter.

Serenity looked uncomfortable, shifting in her seat. "Uh, Grandma and Grandpa don't know," she admitted. "They think that she made my name Venturi out of some kind of…," she waved her hand, "familial thing or something." She shrugs, "They might suspect, but they don't know."

"I didn't even know Casey had a kid," he admits, falling back against the cushion of his chair. He's feeling a lot of different emotion right now, and part of him wants to call up Casey and demand to know why she kept his kid from him for eight years (it's easy to pin down her age now). Then again, he suspects he knows why she did it.

"From my understanding, Grandpa doesn't mention mom to you when you talk."

"And you're sure that I'm-did Casey tell you that-?" Serenity gives him that look again, and there's no denying that she's Casey's daughter. "Stupid question," he agrees. It finally occurs to him to ask what she's doing here. She stands and walks around the room, inspecting.

"I've been bothering mom to get to know you for about a year now," Serenity admits. "Becoming really pushy in the last two months or so. She finally caved, and now, I'm here."

"I'm surprised she didn't bring you herself."

"She wanted to, at least part of the way, but she couldn't." She picks up a magazine and makes a face when she realizes it's sports illustrated.

"I should… I should call, and let her know you're here."

"No!" Derek jumps as she whirls around to face him, looking slightly panicked.

"No?"

Serenity clears her throat. "No, uh. I'll do it. She, um… she doesn't want to talk to you, and I really think that we should respect her wishes. It was one of the conditions she had when sending me here." It stings that after so long she wouldn't even want him to be the one to call and acknowledge her-their-daughter had arrived. Miss Plans Everything didn't even bother giving him a call or heads up to make sure he was prepared for his house guest.

Derek supposes he doesn't know Casey very well anymore.

He gestured for her to go ahead, and she pulled out a phone. "Another condition," Serenity admits as she dials the number. "She wants to be able to reach me while I'm gone."

"About that," Serenity pauses over the green button. "How long are you staying, exactly?"

"The rest of the summer?" She beams.

"Three months?" He blinks.

"It's the off-season," Serenity is quick to point out. "And I don't have school. You will, however, have to take me to ballet class."

He blinks. "Ballet, class?"

"Yes, I'm already enrolled." She looks at him expectantly, and Derek sighs. She seems to take that as an agreement.

"What if I hadn't agreed to this?" he grumbled to no one in particular.

"Then I'd go home," she shrugs. "But I-mom had a feeling that you wouldn't send me away like that." He ignores her, and she hits the call button. The volume is down, so he can't hear Casey's voice as she talks, only Serenity's affirmations on her end. Still, his arms get goosebumps, knowing that she's on the other line.

When Serenity gets off the phone, he looks at her expectantly. He wants to know if Casey asked about him, but he doesn't. "What's for dinner?" The young girl asks.

"Umm." He hardly has any food in his fridge as it is, and nothing to feed a child. "Let's… go out?" He tries to remember what it was like being a big brother to Marti. It's not quite the same, but it's the closest he knows about being a dad.

"Where should I put my suitcase?" She asks, sounding so prim and proper, so like Casey, that something inside Derek twists. He shows her to the guest room, and ten minutes later, he's opening the door to Sam and Ralph, the latter has his hand up as if he's about to knock.

"Ready for movie night?" Ralph asks, glancing at the fact that Derek has on his jacket. "Or did you forget because of a hot piece of a-" Derek clamps a hand over his friend's mouth.

"Derek," Sam is peering beside Derek. "Who is the kid?"

…

Thirty minutes later, Derek is closing the door on the pizza guy. He serves Serenity a couple slices of pepperoni, then grabs plates for the guys, heading for the living room. She stays sitting at the dining room table, staring at them disapprovingly.

Ralph is the first to cave, taking his plate and sitting at the dining table. Sam follows a moment later, then Derek sighing in exasperation. It hasn't even been a full day, and she's taking over. Serenity seems satisfied, though.

When she finishes eating, she excuses herself to the guest room. Only then do Ralph, and Sam leans in. "So, your daughter?"

"Are you sure she's yours?" Ralph asks. "You know how girls are."

"I'm sure," Derek says firmly. If it had been anyone else, he might have been wondering the same thing.

"Who?" Sam finally asks.

Derek looks away, grabbing for another slice of pizza. "A girl I knew." It's close enough to the truth to not be a lie.

Still, Sam seems to read between the lines. His eyes grow wide. "No."

"What?" Ralph looks between them. "I feel like I'm missing something."

Derek shrugs, taking a large bite of pizza to avoid answering. Sam starts laughing. "I should have seen it in the way she stared at all of us to eat at the table." He chuckles again. "She looks a lot like her, now that I think about it."

"She looks like who?" Ralph whines.

"Casey," Sam answers, watching Derek's reaction. "Serenity looks like Casey."

Ralph chuckles, too, finally in on the joke. "Wouldn't that be wild. Derek and Casey having a kid." Or maybe not. It takes a second, but then Ralph gets it, too. "No!" His face splits into a wide smile. "I always knew you two would get on."

…

Hours later, the movie is over, and Sam and Ralph are gone. Derek checked on Serenity periodically, and she was contentedly coloring and watching videos in the guest room. He goes to check on her after seeing Ralph and Sam out, and finds her asleep on the bed, tablet clutched to her chest. There's a fondness there, for this little girl he just met, and he's back to feeling angry at Casey.

It's his fault, too, but he can't help the anger. Casey should have told him, should have given him a chance.

Sighing, he pulls the tablet away and sets it aside. He debates on waking the kid so she can change into pajamas, but he decides to let her sleep. Carefully he pulls back the comforter from under her and tucks her in.

For the first time, he tucks his daughter into sleep.

Then he's left alone with his thoughts, left alone to process the fact that he suddenly has an eight-year-old daughter for the summer. He wonders what he'll do when the summer ends, how much he'll be able to be involved once she leaves.

Derek also spends a lot of time wondering about Casey; wondering if she's married, or seeing anyone, if she has any other kids. He wonders if he would have put it together sooner if he'd let his parents talk to him about Casey.

If he hadn't been such an ass, maybe he could have been involved in Serenity's life a lot sooner.

…

The next day he has to go to training. It's the off-season, so there's not as much on ice practice, but they're still required to work out. He takes Serenity with him because her ballet class doesn't start until the next day.

She colors while he works out, and she charms most of the guys on the team. Derek admits that she's his kid, and leaves it at that despite all the questions.

He tries to get some of his questions about Casey answered, but the kid is pretty tight-lipped about her mother. It's not until several questions later that he gets it's a loyalty thing.

He does learn that she's not married, and he shouldn't be happy about that, but he is.

The next day passes much the same. He tries to learn about what he can about Casey, and Serenity stubbornly refuses to let anything slip. He takes her to a ballet class (it's entirely out of the way from where he needs to be later at practice, but he can't find it in himself to be more than mildly put out).

She's crying when he gets back to pick her up. His first instinct is to retreat because Derek Venturi doesn't do tears, but this is his daughter, and she needs him.

So, he picks her up and lets her tell him all about why she's upset. He learns that this is definitely Casey's kid because she's just as melodramatic as her mother (but it doesn't stop him from watching online tutorials all night so that he can put her hair up in a perfect ballerina bun the next day).

It takes two weeks for him to get it right, but Serenity wins over the other girls by the end of the first week.

At night, they watch movies, and sometimes they watch old hockey games. He tries to teach her about hockey but is surprised to find she already knows as much as he did at eight. "I thought you said hockey is a vile, violent sport."

"It is," she says, smoothing the blanket over her legs, "but it can be enjoyable to watch."

He's further surprised. "You like watching hockey?" Serenity nods.

"Who taught you about hockey, anyway?"

"Grandpa." Derek turns to give her a look, and she laughs. She sounds just like Casey that, for a minute, he expects to see his stepsister lounging nearby. It hurts. "Mom did."

It's his turn to laugh. "Your mom taught you to understand hockey."

Serenity nods, picking at a piece of fuzz on the blanket. "She watches most of your games." He opens his mouth to ask something else, but her phone rings, and she rushes to answer it. "Aunt Marti!" Then she disappears into her room to talk to Derek's sister.

Vaguely he wonders if Marti knows the truth because she's always been smarter than they gave her credit for.

Every night Serenity talks to Casey in her room. Derek tries not to listen, but he wants to hear her voice. He's not entirely sure what that will accomplish, but he wants it all the same.

It takes three weeks for the tabloids to get a picture of him with his kid, and for the speculations to start. Derek has the feeling that if it hadn't been the off-season, it would have gotten out a lot sooner.

The picture is in a magazine later that week. Derek ignores it, and he tells his agent to ignore questions about it, too. "She's my kid," he admits, "but I don't want her exposed in all that."

"If you don't address it, they're just going to speculate some more."

"I'll be more careful," Derek promises. "It's no one's business but mine."

"And… you're sure?" Derek snorts. "Hey, I'm just asking."

"Yeah, I'm sure." That's the end of the conversation.

That night, he goes to Serenity's room (it's no longer the guest room-she'd begun adding her personal touch to the room, and he splurged on buying her things to make it more hers). He wants to talk to her about the paparazzi, and the pictures, but she's lying on her stomach on the floor, feet swinging in the air, drawing on her notepad. The phone rings and her face lights up, so he knows it's Casey calling.

Derek starts to leave to let her speak to her mom privately, but she answers the phone on speaker, intent on her art. "Hey, mom."

"Serenity Alice Venturi. Where the hell are you?"

* * *

**a/n: I definitely shouldn't be starting a new story, but oh well here I am. Inspired by the movie Game Plan, if you can't tell, but I won't be following that plot exactly. I'm not even entirely sure where this is headed. But here it is, yet another story despite having some incomplete... Oops?**

**The usual disclaimers apply. I don't own Life with Derek, the characters, the plot of Game Plan, etc. etc.**


	2. Chapter 2

Derek is frozen at the door. It's the first time he's heard Casey's voice in almost nine years. She's angry-that much is clear-but he's also kind of liked her best that way. Serenity's eyes are wide and fearful, the expression of a child who has been caught doing something they aren't supposed to. "Um," she starts, reaching for the phone.

"Because I _thought_ I sent you to Miss-" Casey's voice is cut off as Serenity takes the phone off speaker. Just like that, her voice is gone, and Derek can move again.

He steps into the room, Serenity staring up at him with wide eyes. Her lower lip is trembling, but there aren't any tears, yet.

Derek can't stand to see her cry.

Serenity drops her gaze. "I'm sorry, mommy," she whispers into the phone. Casey says something, and it makes his daughter smile, just like that. "Yeah." She looks up at Derek again, hesitating. "Umm…"

He knows, suddenly, that Casey is asking to talk to him. If he were a girl, his hands were shaking, but his hands don't shake. He doesn't get nervous talking to anyone, especially not Casey. He nods, holding his hand out for the phone.

(His hands _are_ shaking so bad it takes him a second to get a good enough grip on the phone for Serenity to let go).

"Casey," he greets the voice on the other line.

It's quiet, and for a second he thinks, maybe, she hung up, but then she's there. "Derek." They're both quiet. He has so much to say, and he's pretty sure she doesn't know what to say. She recovers first. "You didn't think, that when a kid showed up on your doorstep, that you should call and let her _mother_ know that she's there. Of all the irresponsible things-I thought you might have grown up-"

He talks over her because he can't help himself. "You didn't think that I should know?" He's aware of Serenity sitting on the floor there, and he covers the mouthpiece. "I'm going to borrow your phone and talk to your mom in my room." Serenity nods, eyes still wide. Casey waits patiently; this isn't a conversation their daughter needs to overhear.

When he's in his room, seated on the bed, he starts again. "You didn't think I should know that I have a kid."

"I can't imagine being stuck in that situation, forced to settle because a kid shows up," It takes him a second to realize she's quoting him, and he cringes. It's quick and biting like she's been saving up to throw that back in his face for the last eight years.

"Casey," he starts, but what can he say. "We were barely finishing college. I wasn't expecting to be a dad right out of college. We hadn't even told our parents we were dating."

"I wasn't expecting to be a mother," Casey points out. Fair enough. "You made it very clear that night that you wanted nothing to do with a kid, not then."

"I thought we were talking about a hypothetical-haha can you imagine if this did happen. I didn't imagine it meant you were actually carrying our baby. Christ, Case."

She sighs, deep like she's so drained. "It wasn't a big deal, at the time. I knew a lot of it was just talk. I knew, one day, you would want kids, and maybe we hadn't planned on right then, for either of us, but One Day was there. Then you got drafted, and I tried to get a job near you, I did. It didn't happen."

He closes his eyes, picturing that night perfectly in his mind. He's relieved it every night since it happened. Derek knows exactly where Casey is going with this.

"Guess this is as good a time as any to call it quits," she's quoting him again. "We both know that this wasn't going to last, anyway."

"Casey-"

"No, Derek." She interrupts. They were never really good at hearing one another out. "I remember everything that was said that night. I thought-maybe it was silly of me-but I thought, that, maybe you and I… that we were… that it was more than..." Casey can't seem to find the words to express what she's thinking. They've always been in competition and admitting anything still feels a bit like losing with them.

After all the things he did, he's not sure that he deserves any of her admission about back then, though he desperately wants to know. She takes a deep breath, and he aches to reach out and hold her again. "Listen, I'll be there tomorrow. I need your address."

"What? She's supposed to stay the summer with me."

"Derek, she was supposed to stay the summer at Miss Adeline's School of Dance. She was not supposed to show up on your doorstep." Serenity's face and Casey's anger make a lot of sense now.

"She's enrolled in a dance class here," Derek says, urgently. He's standing now, pacing the room. "She's already here. I… I want this, Casey." His voice breaks.

"I don't want her around any of your women, Derek." He opens his mouth to protests, but she's plowed through once again. "I'll be there tomorrow. I want to know exactly where she's staying, what accommodations she has, and there will be ground rules. Derek, I'm not going to keep her from you, not anymore. She clearly wants this, and you say you want it to, but I need to know she's in a safe place." This sounds more like the Casey he knows.

…

"Your mom will be here tomorrow." Derek hands the phone back to Serenity. She had moved from the floor to the bed, her knees drawn to her chest as she waited to find out the outcome of the call.

She sniffs and wipes at a tear falling down her cheek before accepting the phone. He sits on the edge of her bed. "Are you mad?" Derek shakes his head. "Mom is mad."

"She's not mad-well, a little, but she's worried about you. She loves you very much, and if something had happened on your way here, or even after getting here. She wouldn't have known. You can't just go somewhere else when you're supposed to be somewhere."

"I know."

"You know, I'm sure if you had told your mom you wanted to be here, she would have made it happen."

Serenity sighs. "I know, she said the same thing. I didn't want to upset her."

"Why would it upset her?"

"Talking about you makes her sad." Derek swallows hard, taking a deep breath. "She's taking me home, then?" Serenity sounds so small that Derek can't help but gather her into his arms.

"No, she's not taking you home." The girl instantly brightens. "But Casey will be here tomorrow."

…

It takes several chapters of Harry Potter, but Serenity finally goes to sleep that night. She's excited to see her mom, and Derek's pleased with the bond the two have formed. He just wishes he would have had the chance to develop one sooner.

That night, he lays in bed, staring at his ceiling, unable to sleep. He's thinking about Casey, about their past, and how he could have handled things differently. He's thinking about '_that it was more than…_' it's the only explanation for why, when his phone rings, he's expecting it to be Casey on the other end.

It isn't, of course. Instead, it's his dad's number on the caller ID, and Derek sits up. It's unlike his dad to be calling so late, and he has to wonder if something is wrong-when it rains, it pours. "Hey, dad."

"Derek," George sounds calm, in control.

"Everyone okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, everyone is fine." He seems confused, but only for a second. "Right, it's late. Everyone is fine, no one is dying or injured-that's not why I'm calling."

"Just calling for a late night chat?"

"Derek," there's a note of warning in his dad's voice. Everyone is okay, but he's calling for something serious.

"What's up?"

"I… well, I know you've always kind of done your own thing, and the last few years the physical distance has put a strain on our communication-you've never exactly been one to overshare," he pauses, and Derek is wary.

"What's going on?"

"It's just… I was at the grocery store-we're trying a new dish detergent because Nora things she's allergic-"

"Dad!"

"Right, not important. Anyway, I'm standing in line to pay. There's only one cashier despite the several available lanes." George grunts for a moment, but a second later he's back on track. "It's a long line, it's late, and I'm tired. So, I start scanning the magazines-anything to keep from falling asleep in line."

Suddenly, Derek has an excellent idea of where this is going. "I recognize my son on the cover of a couple of the magazines, so I pick up the rack. Now, I don't typically believe everything written in those articles, but the picture is very clear. You're holding the hand of a little girl." Derek is very quiet, despite the pause George gives him to argue, back out, spin the story, anything. "Derek, have you been hiding a kid from us?"

He almost wants to laugh, the irony of it all. "No, I haven't been hiding a kid from you."

George is suspicious, and for a good reason. Derek has never been one to opt for the truth when it didn't suit him. "So, why are you pictured holding the hand of a child? Make a Wish?"

Derek hesitates. It's not that he's considering telling his dad he's been spending time a terminally ill patient, but he's not sure what he should be telling his dad. He goes with the truth or a version of it. It's going to bring up more questions-ones he can't answer without talking to Casey first. "I would think you could recognize your own grandchild."

George makes a strangled sounding noise, and this time, Derek does laugh. "Serenity will be so disappointed to know her grandpa doesn't recognize her."

There's a long moment of silence and, for a moment, Derek things that maybe George has put it together. Turns out, he's just confused. "Serenity? Casey's daughter? What is she- you will tell her no such thing; the picture doesn't show very much of her, I would recognize a picture of my grandkid if it weren't just a few limbs and some hair."

"A very accurate description, I'm sure."

His dad brushes him off. "What are you doing with Serenity? Does Casey know she's there?"

"Yes, Casey knows she's here."

"I thought she was spending the summer at some dance school; she was very excited about it."

"Change of plans, listen, dad, I have to go-"

"Derek, wait. Does this mean… well, are you and Casey on speaking terms again. We're allowed to speak her name in your presence, we're allowed to mention you in hers. You'll both be here for Christmas this year?"

"Subtle slip there, dad."

"It would make Nora very happy."

"I'll be there."

…

Derek spends a majority of the following morning vomiting. Serenity watches him from the doorway of his bathroom with a glass of water, looking amused. "Are you nervous?"

He wipes a towel across his mouth and accepts the water. After taking a sip, he answers, "No, why would I be nervous?"

"Uncle Edwin says you used to throw up before hockey games."

"Oh, does he now."

Serenity nods. "He says it's because you were nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

There's a knock at the front door and Derek's stomach twists, but he's got nothing left to give. "Good, because mommy's here!"


	3. Chapter 3

She's shaking as she hangs up the phone. The first time hearing his voice in nearly nine years; her memory hadn't done him justice.

Casey can't sit still the entire flight. She's too nervous about seeing Derek again after all this time. Alternating between anger and disappointment at her daughter (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, it seems!), and anxiety at the confrontation that's bound to happen tomorrow makes it impossible to remain calm.

The woman in the seat next to Casey quietly offers her a valium a few different times, and after the third time, Casey is almost tempted to accept it (she doesn't).

…

She stands on the other side of the door, staring at it with trepidation. She plans on knocking, honestly. It seemed impossible to bring herself to do so. She hadn't seen Derek in almost nine years, and now here she was, standing outside his apartment.

Aside from the anger at her secret (which was only slightly justified), Casey wasn't sure what to expect from her stepbrother.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to knock?" A wobbly old voice interrupted Casey from her contemplation. She turned to find an elderly woman standing at the other end of the hall staring at her with a raised brow. "He's very handsome, you know." The woman said, with a knowing grin. "You aren't like the usual ones who come by."

Casey blinked at this. "Does he have many female visitors?"

The wrinkled woman shrugged. "Sometimes." She stared at Casey. "So, are you going to knock."

The brunette let out a breath, straightening her already straight clothes. "Yes, I'm going to knock." She turned from the woman and went back to staring at the door.

"The hallway gets drafty," the woman called. "Don't stand out here too long."

Casey ignored her, but she knew that she couldn't stand out here forever. Her daughter is on the other side of that door! Squaring her shoulders and drawing herself up to her full height, she brings her fist up and knocks soundly on the door. She can hear voices on the other side, and vaguely she listens to Derek's voice admonishing Serenity to wait and see if it's _actually _mommy on the other side before opening it.

Then, they were both standing in front of her.

In moments of weakness, Casey had pulled out old pictures of Derek. As Serenity grew, she could see the resemblance between father and daughter, but seeing them standing right next to each other practically took her breath away. It would be impossible for anyone to miss the resemblance; if Casey had ever doubted who the father of her child was (she never did, to be clear), this would paint the picture perfectly.

Her eyes went first to her daughter; assessing. It took longer than her usual quick once over because her eyes kept pulling to Derek, but eventually, she's satisfied that her daughter is cared for, and she moves her attention to Derek. She misses the path his eyes had traveled while she checked in on her daughter, so by the time she looks at his face, his expression is unreadable.

Something in her mind must have expected him to be the same as he was eight years ago. It was silly, as they'd both changed in many ways since then. Still, it was a shock to her mind to see him standing there eight years older. The years had been kind to him, though. The brief glimpses of Derek on the TV screen when she watches his games don't do him justice either.

He doesn't say anything, and she's suddenly aware that they've been standing here an inordinate amount of time, and the neighbor's warning rings in her ears. "Well, are you going to invite me in, or am I going to have to stand out here all afternoon? I'm told the hallway gets drafty."

Serenity, who had been glancing between her parents, jumps into action. She launches herself at her mother, hugging her tightly. Casey wraps her arms around the young girl, breathing deep. It had been hard enough to send her to dance school. She'd been beside herself when she realized that Serenity was not where she was supposed to be.

Having her here, in her arms, was enough to calm most of her anxieties. Her eyes closed as she savors the moment.

Too soon, Serenity is pulling away from Casey. "Come on, I want to show you my room." She's tugging on Casey's arm, and Derek is moving out of the way, shutting the door behind them.

The presentation of the bedroom is followed by a Serenity-led tour of the apartment. Derek follows behind, not saying a word.

"Honey, why don't you go straighten up…" She hesitates; saying 'your room' sounds weird, seeing as her room is in a different apartment, in a different city. She supposes she's going to have to get used to sharing her daughter, and that her daughter has a room here. "... your room." Serenity makes a face. "I want to speak to De - your dad a moment." Serenity brightens at that.

The young girl gives her mom a hug, whispering "I missed you," before she skips off to her room, leaving Casey and Derek alone for the first time.

Casey wraps her arms around herself. She's unsure, awkward; she hasn't felt that way in a long time, but standing here before Derek, feeling like she should explain herself Casey can't help but feel insecure. Not to mention he hasn't said a word to her; Casey and Derek fight, they argue, they bicker, they occasionally get along, but they've always got something to say.

"I-" She starts at the same time he does.

"You-" She gestures for him to continue. He clears his throat. "You look good."

She can feel warmth in her cheeks, even as she returns the compliment. It's unfair how calm, unaffected he is. "It's a nice apartment, Derek."

This is almost worse than the silence, the awkward small talk. They never did small talk before, always jumping right to the heart of the matter.

They used to be good at this.

Derek clears his throat, "Do you want something to drink?"

"I could go for some liquor right now if I'm honest." It earns her one of Derek's rare, genuine smiles and her heart somersaults in her chest. Mentally she admonishes her internal organs, begging them to behave.

"Maybe later," he offers. She thinks it over, and he continues. "It might be easier to discuss some things later, with a few drinks."

Casey nods in agreement. Discussing their previous relationship, the subject of keeping Serenity a secret; it felt odd talking about it in the light of day.

So, they leave it be for the time.

…

It's surprisingly easy after that. Deciding to set aside the harder stuff eases most of the tension, and they slip right back into old patterns. It's comfortable, and Casey's reminded of what they had been.

With Serenity curled on the couch between them, they watch a movie. Casey cooks them lunch (Serenity relishes having a home cooked meal again which promptly earns Derek a lecture about the necessary nutrition for a growing girl; Serenity rolls her eyes looking so much like Derek, that something inside Casey breaks).

They play board games and a few card games. Serenity, eventually, decides she's had enough time with her parents and takes off to entertain herself in her room. Both Derek and Casey had enforced the gag order with their family in regards to the other, so there was plenty to catch up on.

Derek learns that Casey is a lawyer at a mid-size plaintiff law firm, she and Serenity live in a two bedroom apartment about fifteen minutes from their parents, and she's been published in a few different articles for her take on recent laws.

Casey learns that Derek still hangs out with Sam and Ralph, his contract with his current team is up in about a year, and he's surprisingly good at the ballet bun.

She can't bring herself to ask if he's dating anyone, but she shares a story about winning over the PTA with baked goods.

He shares a tale of the disaster that occurred the first time he took Ralph to a big hockey party with him.

They also bicker, and quite a few nicknames make a reappearance. Still, it's an enjoyable afternoon, and Casey is feeling ill by the end of it.

Watching Derek on TV, from a distance sometimes dulled the ache she felt when she thought about him, but this; being here with him, with Serenity and getting a glimpse of what their life might have been together. He's sitting two feet away from her, laughing as she shares the story of the first time she fell in court, and Casey misses him more than she has in the past eight years.

…

It gets late, and Derek calls Sam to come to watch Serenity. Casey can't hear Sam's end of the conversation, but it sounds a lot like a reluctant agreement. She says as much, and Derek laughs. "He acts like it, but he's grown attached in the short time he's known her." It's an innocent statement, but Casey feels the guilt settle in her stomach.

It sobers the conversation as Derek catches on to the double meaning behind his words. They don't say anything for a moment, then Serenity comes in asking for dinner, and the awkwardness eases again. It's not gone like before, but it becomes background noise as they shift their attention to something else.

When Sam arrives, Casey's the one who answers the door. Her first boyfriend blinks in surprise to find Casey there, but he takes it in stride, like most things. "I probably shouldn't be surprised to see you here," Sam says as they exchange a hug. He catches her look and grins, "I figured it out the first night I met her."

"Oh." What else can she say?

"I wasn't surprised at that," he continues, and Casey blushes; she recalls blonde wigs and stakeouts, and feels compelled to give him another hug. He laughs, "It's all in the past, Case."

Derek joins them, then, and stares at Sam's arm around her shoulder. "Casey and I are going out." He states.

"Most people date _before_ they have a child, but you two have never been conventional." Derek blinks, and Casey laughs.

"We're going out for drinks," Casey clarifies, and Derek sputters an unintelligible response. It's nice to see him flustered. "We've got some things to discuss."

Sam nods like he didn't intentionally misinterpret Derek's words, and then they're off.

…

The bar he takes her to is quiet, out of the way. It's not crowded, and the atmosphere is more relaxed. The tension eases from her shoulders a bit. They find a booth, and a waitress brings them some menus. Derek catches her glancing around and grins. "I like it because it's super chill; I can come and eat, drink a bit, and hang out, and no one really bothers me."

They're both quiet as they glance over the menus. When the waitress comes back, Derek orders them both a double shot. He orders a jack and coke with one of those appetizers that come with a little bit of everything, and she orders a lemon drop martini.

They talk about the family while they wait for their drinks, and it's not until the shots are thrown back that they get into the discussion. As it used to be, Casey jumps right to the heart of the matter. "I'm sorry, Derek. It doesn't excuse what I did, and it doesn't make up for the last eight years, but up front, I want you to know I'm sorry."

He stares at her, long and hard, and she thinks he must be angrier than she thought, but he finally says, "I thought we'd be on drink number three before you apologized." She cracks a smile, and so does he.

"I am sorry," she says, sincerely.

He nods. "Me, too."

"I know, if I had told you, you would have done the right thing. I didn't want you to give up your dream, and then resent me for it later."

"I'd already said some awful things," He admitted, sharing half the blame.

This, too, was new, but she could get used to this version of them (more than the awkward small talk, long silences version of them).

"That was part of it," she admitted. "Maybe subconsciously I was punishing you, too, for some of the things you said." She sips at her drink.

"I get it, you know." He says after a beat. "I don't like it, but I get it. We probably could have figured out a way to make our dreams work with a kid, too. You've already done that." He's half right, but she doesn't point that out.

Instead, she nods in agreement. "I know that." Sip. "Now. Then, we were young, and it seemed like it had to be all or nothing."

"I want to be involved in her life, Casey." He's pleading, and she can't remember Derek begging for anything, not from her. It's unsettling, and her heart - disobeying her earlier order - flips.

"I want you to be involved in her life, too. I deprived you both of one another for too long, I wouldn't dream of coming between you." He nods, shoulders sagging. She supposes that was the biggest issue for him, and with that out of the way, he can relax. Everything else will come.

She smiles, and he squints at her. "What?"

"Just realized that some things never change."

He looks like he wants to ask her to elaborate, but the waitress comes with their food. Casey picks at an onion ring, and without discussion, they move to more comfortable topics. Derek shares a story about the date with a Super Fan and what a regret that was. She manages to sound casual as she asks if Derek is seeing anyone. He still sees right through her, because he's always been able to read her and it may have taken a few tries to get back into the practice like she said: some things never change.

"Not currently."

"I ran into your neighbor earlier." His brow arches and she continues, "Apparently, she's seen several different women come and go."

He laughs, "I'm not a priest, but I've had a few dates."

She's back in mom mode. "What about since Serenity has been there."

Derek shakes his head, "No one since she's been there, for a few different reasons." She lets out a breath and munches on a mozzarella stick.

"Good." He opens his mouth, and she can already predict the smartass reply, so she cuts him off ahead. "I know I have no right to tell you not to date or anything like that, I'm just asking that you keep anyone out of your house when Serenity is there. If it's someone who is going to become permanent, I ask that I get a chance to meet them before they meet Serenity and before they get involved in _her_ life. I've kept my dating life very separate from my -" she catches herself, "Our daughter, and if you're going to hook it up, I ask that it not be around her."

Derek looks thoughtfully as he shoves an onion ring in his mouth. Casey makes a disgusted face, and he laughs. "You're right, some things never change. Look, Casey, I can't promise to follow your rules to the letter." She inhales deep to interrupt him, but this time he cuts her off. "I'll do my best. I want what is best for Serenity, and I get that stability is important for you both." Casey lets out the breath she was holding. "And," he grins, "as adverse as I am to following the rules -"

"I'm surprised you know how to use adverse in a sentence."

He glares at her, "this important so I will do my best. I can't promise that a serious girlfriend might not meet Serenity before you do." His assurance doesn't make her feel better for some reason. "But Case," she looks up, "there's no one on the horizon for you to meet." _That_ makes her feel better, and she curses herself. Eight years! She should be over him by now!

"So, you've kept your dating life separate from Serenity." Casey nods. Derek looks thoughtful again before continuing, "I think the same rules should apply." Casey looks indignant, and he heads her off once more. "I know you said you keep it separate, so I'm not talking about that part, obviously. If anyone is going to be serious in your life, and therefore hers, I want to meet them first."

"I suppose that's fair."

"Really, I'd be doing you both a service - you have the worst taste."

"I do not!"

"Truman."

She narrows her eyes at him, laughter threatening. "Sam," she pointed out.

"That was just a fluke," Derek waved him away. "That was _his_ bad judgment, not yours."

"Der_ek_." His name falls perfectly broken from her lips, and she realized she'd missed the sound. Derek chuckles.

"So, is there anyone on the horizon." She hates how disinterested he sounds as if he's asking to be polite since she'd asked (never mind that Derek doesn't do polite).

"Not at the moment." She thinks of Steve from the accounting office the floor below her firm's, and how she had started considered giving in to his occasional requests to take her out for dinner. She knows that it will never happen now.

They finish the appetizer and move back to serious topics.

"I talked to my dad yesterday," she's not sure where this is going, but she can see in his eyes it's important. "He saw the photo."

"Oh."

"Wanted to know how I had a kid without telling anyone."

Weaker this time, "Oh."

Derek clears his throat. "I told him that it was Serenity."

Casey isn't sure how to react. It's not that she was expecting Derek to lie (okay, this is Derek; she was kind of expecting him to lie). Unsure of what else to say, she responds with a barely audible, "Oh." He's beginning to look a little frustrated, not that she can blame him.

"Asked that since we're clearly on speaking terms, that we both be present at Christmas this year."

"I wasn't avoiding you."

He looks at her long and hard, then snorts. "Yes, you were."

"Okay, yeah. I was. But you were avoiding me too."

"You started it."

She grins at him. "What, are you five?" They both laugh.

"We can discuss all that later, but the point is I told him I'd be there for Christmas this year." He looks at her, expectantly, and she's not sure what he's waiting for. When she doesn't say anything back, he sighs. "You said Serenity can be in my life," he reminds her.

"Yeah, but… are you - do you want to take her for Christmas?" It's one thing to share her child, but to give up a holiday? A major holiday? A moment of panic sets in, and she takes a sip of her drink to give her time to remember how to breathe.

"Not exactly. I mean, dad has a point; we _are_ talking now, I know the Big Secret you've been keeping from me. There's no point in avoiding one another for the holidays now."

"Oh!" Instantly she brightens. She wouldn't have to be without Serenity after all. "They're going to want to know why and how we made up." She thinks about it, "and why we stopped talking, to begin with."

Meanwhile, Derek looks less than thrilled. "I'm going to have to cut you off if you're going to continue being so slow." She sticks her tongue out at him, and he gives a long-suffering sigh. "I don't want to act like Serenity is just my niece when we're around the family."

This time she says it with a lot more understanding. "Ohh."

"Yeah, oh."

"So you want to tell them why we stopped talking."

"I mean, I don't plan on giving them the intimate details, but yeah I'd like for them to know that Serenity is mine. More importantly, I don't want to be deprived of being her father for any amount of time."

It was a low blow, but a decent punch and Derek never did play fair. "Okay," she says weakly.

"Okay?" He's surprised that she's given in so quickly, but it was bound to come out anyway. She says as much, and he nods.

"That'll be an interesting Christmas surprise," she mutters.

Derek reaches across the table and pulls her empty martini glass away. "That's it, I'm cutting you off."

She pouts. "I've only had the one, and I'm fine!"

"Clearly it's inhibiting your mental functions." She pulls her glass back, and he lets her shifting in his seat. "I was thinking, well, it would make more sense to tell them _before_ Christmas."

"_Oh_."


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, she's standing outside a door a bundle of nerves. This time, though, she's not alone. Derek is standing beside her, Serenity on his back. Casey has to remind herself that this is the right thing for her kid, and for Derek.

Glancing over at them is reassuring. Serenity is laughing, Derek is smiling. It makes her heart swell. The guilt also eats away at her, but there's nothing to be done about the decision she made years ago.

It didn't take long for Derek to convince her to introduce her parents to Serenity's father. After leaving the bar that night, they didn't talk about it anymore. He was patient, letting her think it over. The next morning as Derek was about to broach the subject again, she'd beaten him to it. "I know it's the right thing, it's just hard for me," She had admitted. She'd kept the secret for eight years, that it wasn't easy letting go. Moreso, the idea of sitting before her parents and saying: "my stepbrother is the father of my child," scared the hell out of her.

But it was better than denying Derek of any more parental rights.

So here they are, standing outside the home that he grew up in, the house that she spent her high school years. It only took a little arranging for them to make the trip out here, but suddenly Casey wishes that they'd taken longer to plan it out. It would have given her more time to figure out what to say. Derek reaches across and squeezes her hand. She's grateful for the support.

"I'm glad we made this decision together," she tells him. He rolls his eyes because she's a sap, but that's okay.

Serenity nudges her mom with her foot. "Are we waiting for something?" She's confused. When they visit, they usually let themselves in. Derek called ahead, and they know that they're on their way. Edwin and Lizzie are on their way, too. When they heard that Casey and Derek would be in the house at the same time, they made arrangements as fast as possible, at least the way that Liz tells it. "I mean, it's practically a miracle."

"Right," Casey says, painting a smile on her face. It must look more like a grimace, because as she's reaching for the handle, Derek stops her. He and Serenity are giving her an odd look.

"Maybe," Derek says, cautiously, "You could walk in like you're _not_ headed for the firing squad."

This time the grimace is on purpose, but he has a point. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Casey thinks about her daughter, about seeing her parents, about making them happy by being here at the same time as Derek. It brings a more genuine smile to her face. They head inside.

Marti is the first to greet them. Casey opens the door, and Derek announces, "I'm home!" Marti comes bounding down the stairs. She's as colorful in young adulthood as she was as a child, currently sporting bright green strips in her hair. Serenity drops from her dad's back just in time for her aunt to hurtle herself into Derek's arms.

"Smerek!" Casey watches at the mixture of amused and relief on Derek's face. He always worried she'd grow out of their nicknames.

"Hey, Smarti."

Simon follows a moment later. He and Derek exchange a complicated looking handshake before he turns to Casey and provides an analysis of her latest book recommendation, at length. She can hardly focus.

Simon is a perfect combination of Venturi-McDonald genes, like Serenity. Looking at him, watching as he acts calm and collected with Derek but truly appreciate books like Casey reminds the latter just why she's here this afternoon.

Derek must sense her impending panic because he reaches across and squeezes her shoulder. "Earth to Spacey,"

A tired voice calls from the kitchen doorway, "Can we not start with the insults. Only we've just got you two back under one roof."

Casey smiles at her mother, and the guilt gnaws at her insides further. She knows how much it means to her having everyone together again. She hopes their news won't ruin that. "Nickname," Derek corrects with a chuckle. He disentangles himself from the kids to give his stepmom a hug. The door opens behind them, letting in Lizzie and Edwin.

After that, there's a lot more hugging, and a lot of everyone talking over one another. George has managed to appear in the mix as well, and Serenity is showing him her new loose tooth. "Just discovered it this morning!"

"You'd better take care of it for the tooth fairy."

"Oh, grandpa." Serenity shakes her head, and leans in to tell him in confidence, "_Mommy_ is the tooth fairy."

Casey blushes, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"You ruined the tooth fairy?" Edwin asks, shocked.

"I didn't- No, I didn't _ruin_ the tooth fairy." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Casey lets out a breath. "She caught me slipping the money under her pillow."

Derek snorts. "You got caught, you _did_ ruin the tooth fairy."

"I pretended to be asleep," Serenity announces, proudly, sounding as smug as Derek. Her father laughs. "I had a lot of technical questions about how the job works; I wanted to know if there was just one tooth fairy or several. The movies have so many different theories." There she sounds like her mother.

Eventually, they make their way from the entryway. Nora disappears to go check on dinner, and Casey pulls Marti aside. The teen goes along reluctantly. "You know," Casey says conversationally. "I've been wracking my brain to figure out how Serenity found his address and managed to switch her plane ticket."

"You got one smart kid there, Casey," Marti says, shrugging. She moves to get away, but Casey pulls her back.

"See, the fact that you know exactly what I'm talking about, and aren't convinced that there was a change of plans and _I_ sent her there myself tells me all I need to know."

"Casey," Marti whines.

She holds up a hand, shaking her head. "I don't want to hear it, Marti. That was incredibly irresponsible. Even though you knew where she was, I didn't. I thought she was somewhere else. Do you know how terrifying it was to find out from a magazine that Serenity wasn't where she was supposed to be? God, if something had happened, how long before I found out? Because I thought for sure, she was at a summer dance school."

It wasn't often that Casey scolded Marti, not anymore. This, however, was different. "I can't even begin to express how disappointed I am." Marti cringed. "That said, I get why you did it, and at some point, I'm going to want the full story."

"I thought he should have the chance to know her, and she wanted it so badly. I thought if she at least had some help and someone who did know where she was supposed to be..."

Derek's voice interrupted from behind them. "Casey's right, Smarts."

"I know."

Derek pulled her into another hug, and Casey pretended she didn't hear his whispered thank you.

…

They make it to the dinner table, everyone digging into their first few bites, before the elephant in the room is addressed. Honestly, Casey's surprised it's taken that long. The setup is almost the same as it had been in high school, except back then there hadn't been Serenity or Simon, so the two younger ones are relegated to eating at barstools in the kitchen. Nora makes a comment about needing a bigger table, now that this might occur more often.

Casey has her mouth full when George tries (and fails) at subtlety. "So, Casey, what happened with dance camp?"

She chews slowly, formulating her response. She opts for the truth. "Serenity didn't want to go."

"She was so excited," Nora, understandably, sounds confused. "She wanted to meet her Uncle Derek, instead?"

Casey glances at Derek. She had wanted to send Serenity upstairs during this part of the conversation. Who knows how everyone is going to react? She should have known they wouldn't get through dinner without someone questioning how Serenity ended up visiting Derek of all people. "It was about time I met her," Derek chimed in. It wasn't meant to be hurtful, but the comment still stung.

"I agree," Nora said uncertainly. "It's just strange. You two haven't spoken for quite a few years, I didn't even know you knew you had a niece."

Casey shifts uncomfortably in her seat. It's going to come blurting out any second. Her gaze moves to her daughter, and some of the panic eases. No, she can keep the secret a little longer. Let Serenity have some distance from the conversation. "Dad," Marti turns to her father, "I think I'm going to get my tongue pierced."

Bless her. George turns an unnatural shade of purple. "You want to what?" he manages to sputter, and the topic moves from Casey and Derek's reunion as George tries to convince her that she does not want her tongue pierced, and Lizzie debates the merits of a tongue piercing versus a belly button piercing.

After dinner, Serenity helps Nora clean up. Simon disappears almost immediately before anyone can turn to even ask him to assist. When the dishes are done, Casey catches her mother's eye. She supposes she can't put it off much longer. "Honey, why don't you go upstairs for a bit."

Serenity rolls her eyes. "Just say you want to have a grown-up conversation, mom."

"Do we finally get to know what the fight was about?" Lizzie asks.

"Yeah, because we've had money riding on this for a while," Edwin remarks.

"Edwin!"

"Sorry, Nora, but I can keep it a secret no longer. Besides, you're dying to know how you made out in the bet."

Casey is scandalized. "Mom!"

Nora shrugs sheepishly, "sorry, but we've all been dying to know."

Casey rolls her eyes. Derek makes himself comfortable in the new recliner (his old one went the way of the dumpster a few years prior, and there was some amusement as he took a minute longer to adjust). After glasses of wine are all passed around, Casey takes the seat nearest to Derek. "We need to be drunk for this?" George joked when Casey started handing out the drinks. She didn't comment, and his face grew serious. "Oh," and he took a swallow.

Lizzie and Edwin exchanged a look.

"We aren't going to talk about the fight that Derek and I had," Casey starts out. There are a few groans, but she won't be swayed. The matter was too personal and embarrassing for both of them.

"If you're that concerned about the bet," Derek says lazily, "you'll get an answer; but we didn't come to visit so we could talk about that." To the outside observer, it might seem like he's casual about the whole thing like he could care less. Even eight years of separation and Casey still knows him better than that. She can see the tightness around his eyes and the slight rise of his shoulders; she knows he's as nervous as she feels.

Everyone but Marti complains, so Casey decides to jump right into the heart of the matter. Rip off the bandaid, so to speak. "Since everyone is here, I thought it was time I told you about Serenity's dad."

"Marti," George says, "maybe you should head upstairs, too."

Casey shakes her head. "No, Marti can stay. She already knows."

Four betrayed faces flicker between Marti and Casey. "For the record," Marti says, looking smug as she leans into the back of the couch, "Casey didn't tell me."

"You figured it out?"

"I had suspicions, but Serenity told me." Casey blinked at that and makes another mental note to get the full story from her little sister and her daughter.

"Casey," Lizzie says slowly. "You've always been adamant about not telling us who the father is, even though we've all wondered."

"Yes, and you've all taken turns to pressure me about it."

Nora shook her head. "I should have known Derek would be the one to get it out of you. We should have forced him to find out when we first learned you were pregnant." Casey paused to wonder if things would have turned out differently if their parents hadn't respected her wishes about getting Derek involved, but then she shakes her head.

"No, it's not quite that."

"Well, what changed?" Lizzie asked impatiently.

They'd all been surprised when Casey informed them that she was pregnant. Casey had always been careful, prepared, and the kind of person you expected to get married and plan each of her pregnancies. She wasn't married, and as far as anyone knew she hadn't been dating anyone. It was no surprise that they were impatient; in a family this as nosy as theirs, the fact that they were about to get answers had most of them chomping at the bit.

Inadvertently, Casey's glance went to Derek. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet, but now he decided to speak up. Casey couldn't find the words to tell her parents that she'd been in love with the boy who used to live on the other side of her bedroom wall. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Derek's eyes were serious as his gaze met hers. He didn't look away as he said, "What changed is I found out Casey has a kid, that _we_ have a kid."

…

Their reactions go pretty much as expected. Marti, of course, says nothing. She already knows, and it's evident from the fact that she helped Serenity, and hasn't said anything, that they have her support. Nora leans back in shock. George finishes his glass of wine very quickly, then reaches for Nora's, downing that one, too. Edwin and Lizzie only look mildly surprised rather than the idea a complete shock.

Neither Casey nor Derek are eager to say anything. Casey plays with the hem of her shirt, her gaze stuck on Derek. Nearly nine years later, and he's still her support.

"Congrats, Derek," Marti says, eventually when it's clear no one is going to say anything. "It's a girl."

Derek snorts, and Edwin lets out a giggle (in the way that only Edwin can). Casey groans, but she gives a small smile. The joke cracks some of the tension in the air, and she can finally pull her eyes away from Derek to gauge her mom's reaction.

Nora doesn't look mad. She still seems surprised, eyes wide as she mentally replayed the last eight years, and then some. "How?" She finally croaks.

"Well," Derek starts off, "when a guy and a girl-"

Casey cuts him off, swatting him on the leg. "Der_ek_!"

It's been a long time since anyone heard her mad at him like that. It's a reminder of the time they'd lost as a family as a whole, and what this casual weekend represented. Somehow that simple call eased more of the tension (and maybe showed their family why it shouldn't be much of a surprise).

This was the other part Casey was dreading. She knew that there would be questions. They'd have to admit that they'd been hiding their relationship and for quite a while. "We were dating," she admits, quietly. "We didn't have like a one night stand, and we were careful!" She was on the verge of word vomit. Derek squeezed her hand, and she breathed out.

George and Nora looked stunned at this further revelation. Somehow it was more believable that their two (separate!) children had had a one night stand rather than a longstanding relationship. George's vain started popping, and Casey recognized her stepfather's anger. It didn't happen very often as George was generally laid back, but now he was furious.

She had worried this would happen.

He turned his attention to Derek. "You had a daughter, and you abandoned your family?" Derek cringed.

Casey was quick to jump in, "It's not entirely his fault, George! He didn't know." The throbbing temple slowed some, but he was still pissed when he turned his attention to Casey. It was her turn to flinch.

"We had a fight," she said, sounding small. "He left not long after that, he was drafted. Then I found out, and some of the things he had said; I didn't think he'd want to be involved. I was young, and I made the wrong decision. I should have given him a chance, and there's nothing I can do to take back the last eight years. I should have let him make that choice, and I didn't."

She turned to Derek. Even having apologized the other night, she had to tell him again, in earnest. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

…

There were a lot more questions after that, but Casey was grateful as they held their tongues. She knew the questions would come, but she was spent for the time being. Some of them she knew she would be unable to answer, and some of them she would need to answer for Derek before she could answer their family.

George and Nora took themselves off to bed not long after the Big Reveal. Edwin and Lizzie wanted to know precisely when Casey and Derek started dating. She knew there was another bet in there somewhere, so as an unspoken agreement they both pretended not to know when it happened. Growing fed up with their respective elder siblings, Lizzie and Edwin dragged themselves upstairs for the night. Derek was not far behind. He paused, looked like he wanted to say something, and then murmured a goodnight, ruffling Marti's hair on his way upstairs. Only Marti stayed behind.

"What happened?" She asked quietly. It didn't matter that they said they weren't going to talk about the fight. It wouldn't stop Marti from trying.

"How about we talk about you sneaking my daughter to another province without me knowing?"

Marti cringes, but upon a promise to fill her in another day about the Derek and Casey story, she agrees.

Casey had always been honest with Serenity about her father. She told her child all about who her dad is, and what a great person he was. When Serenity grew older and had more questions, Casey hadn't wanted to explain, but like her father, the young girl had a knack for digging up the information. She found some of Casey's old diaries, got enough information to spook Casey when she asked, that Casey finally told her the PG version of the whole story. She leaves out the circumstances of their break up, never wanting her daughter to feel unwanted.

Over time, Serenity was positive that if he just met her, Derek Venturi would want to be involved in her life. She wants him to know her. It's at this part of the story that Casey starts to feel ashamed. She should have considered her daughter's feelings more. She had thought she was doing what was best, but perhaps she'd been wrong.

She broached the subject of meeting him with Casey, and she had promised to think about it, and she had. Casey had carefully considered reaching out to Derek. She had even obtained his number from Marti. Serenity maybe didn't know the circumstances of the breakup, but she did know that Casey didn't talk to her dad (which wouldn't be unsusual but given their familial circumstances). She knew that watching Derek's games made Casey sad, and she knew that her mom would take her time coming to a decision.

Realizing that she would be put on a plane by herself, the Venturi side of Serenity began to scheme and plan (which would be the McDonald in her). She reached out to Marti and told her everything about her dad, who he was, and what she wanted to do. "Initially I was surprised. I remember the arguments, but then thinking back on it with a fresh mind, I also remembered other things." Marti shrugs.

"I also knew how different you were after you and Derek stopped talking, so I knew it pained you. I remember how hard it was for you to ask me for his number, and I knew you hadn't used it, yet. So, I decided to help."

They sit in silence for a bit and finally, Casey sighs. "I should go check on her."

She doesn't want to talk about the way that Derek makes her feel or the way that seeing him again... Casey doesn't even want to think about it.

"Okay," Marti agrees. "Another day?" She confirms, and Casey nods.

When she makes her way upstairs, Serenity is fast asleep in what used to be Casey's room. It's now the guest room, bathed in soft, neutral colors. Casey's childhood bed is gone, and in its place is trundle bed. Serenity had already pulled the bottom bed out, changed for bed, and tucked herself in. The sight makes Casey smile.

"Hey," A voice from the chair in the corner of the room makes her jump. Derek grins. "Sorry,"

She shakes her head. "What are you still doing awake?"

He gestures to Serenity. "I wanted to say goodnight, but she was already asleep. Thought I'd wait for you."

She ignores the way her pulse quickens. "Oh?"

He nods. "It went okay tonight."

"Better than I thought it would," she agrees.

"You worry too much." She wants to say that he doesn't know her, that maybe she's changed, but she knows it's not true.

"You don't worry enough," she teases.

"I do, about the important things.

She thinks about Scott, about the tension in his posture as they told her mom and George, and Casey supposes he has a point. He does worry about the essential things.


	5. Chapter 5

It's early when she comes into his room. Honestly, though Derek expected this last night. He didn't expect for Marti to drop onto his bed at the crack of dawn. "You know you're a Venturi, right?" he tries when she's made it clear that she's not leaving until they've had a conversation.

"Yupp."

"Because all this about 'talking' and waking up early, it's so not Venturi." He pretends to think about it, squinting at his sister. "Maybe you were adopted."

Marti grabs one of the spare pillows and whacks him in the face with it. "That's the Venturi in me," she says, smugly. Then she's grabbing him by the ear, and he wonders when his baby sister turned into their mother. "Come on, you're buying me breakfast."

…

Thirty minutes later he's showered, dressed, and sitting in a booth across from Marti at Smelly Nelly's. It's disturbing how little the place has changed. Marti looks unimpressed at his observation. "Stop stalling."

"Can't we order first, and let me get some coffee in me?"

She grumbles but ultimately agrees. When they've ordered, and Derek has taken his first sip of coffee, Marti leans in. "What the hell happened that Casey would think you didn't want to be involved in your kid's life?" Derek can read between the lines: _What did you do?_

He runs a hand through his hair, not even realizing the nervous habit. "It was a combination of things," he admits. "I'm not saying Casey was right, and I'm still pissed as hell that I didn't know, but," and he trails off, thinking back to the conversation that led them down this path. "I get why she did it. Lots of people probably would have done the same in her position."

Marti raises a brow. He could see why; not a lot of people would understand their ex hiding a kid from them. "Do you remember when I found out I'd been drafted for a team?"

She nods. "We had a lot of mutual friends in college," Derek smirks, thinking back. They'd both been frustrated, in the beginning, at finding themselves in the same friend group, yet again, without even trying. "Anyway, there were a few close friends that we spent most of our time with, and eventually people within the group started dating, as thee things tend to happen."

Marti waits, surprisingly patient, as he takes another sip of coffee before continuing. "I don't know if you ever met Cara or Russell, but they pretty much dated exclusively once they got together. When graduation started nearing, Cara had a job offer in another city; Russell had a job offer near Kingston, but nowhere near where Cara was heading. They started talking about their options; splitting up, long distance, applying for more jobs, although you could tell neither of them really wanted to give up the job they had found. Then, Cara found out she was pregnant. Casey and I were already together at that point."

He has to pause. It's the first time, in a long time, he's really allowed himself to think about that time. It's the first time he can recall actually talking about it. Derek catches himself and quickly wipes the wistful smile from his expression as he catches a glance at Marti.

"Uh, anyway. Russell and Cara-"

"Derek, hearing about Cara and Russell's story is interesting and all, but that's not why we're here." Her brow arches up at him again, a combination of both his and Casey's interrogation faces. It's scary good.

"Patience, Marti." He leans back as their food is delivered.

She grumbles but digs into her breakfast. Derek follows suit, and they're quiet while they eat. Eventually, though, Marti points her fork at him. "Continue."

He sighs. This is the part he doesn't like remembering. "I said something stupid." Marti gives him this look that says she's unsurprised. He ignores her, continuing. "As I was saying earlier, Cara and Russell decided that they wanted to stay together, especially now that there was a baby in the picture. Before that, they were leaning toward the long-distance option. There was a lot of fighting about who was going to give up their dream job. I couldn't imagine having a kid at that age, about what it would mean to give up everything at that age. It was hard for me to imagine being able to make the kind of decisions a parent has to make. Except, what I told Casey was I couldn't imagine being stuck in a situation where I was forced to settle simply because a kid showed up."

Marti cringed, as did Derek. "You're an asshole."

"I deserve that."

She studied him for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on her pancakes. "There's more, isn't there?"

Derek let out a breath. "Yupp." He stared at his breakfast, nearly gone at this point.

"Want another coffee?" Marti offered. He doesn't answer, but she flags down the waitress anyway, giving him a small reprieve. Derek hates having to retell this story. He hates that they hadn't made different decisions and he'd missed out on Serenity's life... and Casey's.

When his mug has been refilled, and he's added the requisite amount of sugar, Derek sighs and continues. "Of course, it turned into a fight. It didn't come out the way I meant, then Casey got defensive. Said something like 'good to know you would think you were settling with me,' which is not at all what I meant, but you know how we are... well, were." Marti nodded to show that she did, in fact, remember. "Anyway, it got worse. I made it clear that I wasn't interested in having a kid anytime soon because I had a life I wanted to live."

"Oh, Derek."

"Yeah. I don't think Casey was pregnant or knew that she was pregnant at that point, but when she found out, I can't imagine that conversation really gave her any confidence in me. The thing was, I didn't mean any of it. Things were tense for a few weeks after that, but we moved on. Then, closer to graduation, Casey asked me what I would do if we unexpectedly had a baby. At the time, I didn't take it seriously. I thought she was testing me after the whole fight over Cara and Russell's baby. I thought maybe she was giving me a chance to say something different, like 'haha, but what if this really happened' kind of thing."

Marti snatches up his coffee mug and takes a big gulp before handing it back. "You think she knew at that point?"

He thinks back to his first phone call with Casey in eight years and nods. "But I was tired of being on edge because of that fight, and things had gotten weirder in the last week," at least now he knew why. "I was also waiting to hear back about being drafted, so I was a little stressed out. Honestly, I don't remember a lot of what was said, but I gave Casey very little doubt that I would want a kid right then." Derek grimaced, "I think I even made it clear that I wouldn't want a kid with her. Things got even tenser after that. Then, I did get drafted. I was pretty excited until Casey told me she had a job back home. I thought," he stared at his plate, unwilling to look at his sister. What if some guy treated her the same way one day? "I thought that she hadn't even tried to get a job where I was playing. It wasn't until later," much, much later, "that I found out she had tried, she just hadn't been able to get anything."

He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I told her it was as good a time as any to call things quiet and I said that it wasn't like it was anything serious, and we both knew it wasn't going to last, anyway."

"You really are an asshole." She says it so matter of fact, but it's not like Derek has any room to argue.

"Yeah," he agrees. "I was mad, and I thought it was just a stupid fight, and then I thought that was the reason she hadn't bothered trying to get a job over there, that maybe Casey was going to call it quits. The look on her face when I said that, I should have known that's not what she wanted, but the damage was already done. Then I walked away."

Marti shakes her head at him. "Okay, it was still really messed up to keep your kid away from you for so long, but yeah. I can kind of see why she did it."

"I screwed up, Marti."

His little sister shrugs, "Yeah, you did. At least now you get a chance to have Serenity in your life. She's a good kid. Really smart, too."

Derek smiles, fondly, "Yeah, she is."

"Of course," Marti says casually, "having Serenity in your life means that Casey will also be around to some extent."

"Yupp."

"The question is, to what extent?"

…

On the drive back to their house, Marti talks about things going on in her life. He listens, filing the information away, but mostly he's thinking about to what extent he wants Casey in his life.

At the time, when Derek told Casey he wanted to be involved in Serenity's life, and he wanted to be a dad, he hadn't put much thought into it. Now that (almost) everything was out in the open, he had more brain space to worry about that aspect of having a kid.

Eventually, they would have to figure out logistics. How often would Derek get to see Serenity? It doesn't make sense to pull her out of school for half the year so that they can get equal time. Then, of course, there are all the holidays. That one might be easily solved since they primarily do holidays at his dad and Nora's. Would he be able to take her for the entire summer? How much would Casey be involved? Obviously, they would have to communicate about things when he had Serenity, but would she return the favor? If Serenity wound up in the hospital or even something less severe, would Casey call and let him know?

The idea of being a plane ride away if something happened to Serenity made Derek nauseous, and he understood Casey's need to fly out to them immediately. How would she deal with being separated from her daughter?

Derek had a lot of questions and no answers. Would his contact with Casey be limited to talking about Serenity and arranging visits? Did he want more than that? He makes a face realizing that he and Casey are going to have to do more talking, and Marti stops talking. "You're still thinking about what I asked you?"

He tries to look apologetic, "Yes."

Marti sighs. "Just admit you still love her, so I can have some of your attention." She says it fondly, so Derek knows she's not mad. Still, he feels a little twinge of guilt.

"I don't know, Marti. Eight years is a long time."

She waves a dismissive hand at him, "Yeah, okay, I'll just pretend like I don't see the way you look at her when you think no one is looking."

He pokes her in the side, and she laughs. "Hey, Smarti?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we keep this morning between us?"

She rolls her eyes as if he needed to ask. "Duh." He ruffles her hair, and she grins.

…

When they walk back inside, everyone else is awake. It's noisy, and no one notices right away when the door is open. Most of the family is gathered in the kitchen, piling plates with eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls. "Casey made breakfast!" Edwin informs them when they're finally noticed.

Serenity sets her plate aside and runs to greet them both. She wraps Derek in a tight hug, and he places a quick kiss to the top of her head. "Mommy said to let you sleep," she says accusatorily.

"Your aunt dragged me out of bed way too early."

"Are you hungry?" He's about to say no, but the smell of cinnamon rolls hit his nose, and he can practically taste Casey's homemade recipe. Besides, Serenity is looking up at him, "you can sit by me! I helped make the eggs." Her hand is in his as she drags him to the kitchen.

How can he say no? "Starving," he confirms. She loads him up a plate, balancing it carefully as she takes it to the table for him. Serenity watches until he takes a bite of the eggs, confirming that they're, "Delicious!" before she goes to eat her own breakfast. Derek can feel the rest of the family watching them, perceiving them through their newly knowledgeable eyes. He decides to ignore them.

After breakfast, Serenity grabs Marti by the hand. "I have to show you the cat I colored last night!" and she drags Marti away upstairs.

Casey watches them go, shaking her head slightly. Derek watches her, "What?"

"Serenity has her scheming face."

"Oh?"

Casey laughs, "Yeah. It looks a lot like yours." She looks away from the stairs and meets his eyes. She's smiling, and the corners of his lips automatically tug upward.

"It's nice to see that you didn't completely corrupt her," he teases.

She shakes her head. "No way, the mischievous Venturi gene is too strong."

…

His dad pulls him aside a little bit later. George has his lawyer face on, and Derek sighs as he allows himself to go for a walk. "How are you doing?"

Derek shrugs. "Alright, all things considered. This weekend could have gone a lot worse." He risks a sideways glance at his dad, but George is staring straight ahead.

"Son, I think you and I need to talk about some things before you leave."

"I had a feeling this was coming." George cracks a grin, but he nods.

"Being a parent, even in a situation like yours, it's not a part-time gig."

"I know that."

"You have to be responsible, and not just with the decisions you make in regards to Serenity, but overall. The people you allow in your life," George looks at him now, "the girls."

"Yeah, I got a similar talk from Casey."

His dad grins some more, "Yeah, but since when do you listen to her?" They both laugh.

"I know you didn't have any say in the past eight years, but I hope that you plan on doing the right thing."

"What would that be, exactly?"

His dad is quiet, contemplative. "Being there for her, making sure your life insurance is kept up to date, making sure that you have a will." Derek breathes a sigh of relief. As much as he doesn't want to have this conversation, he'll take it over the one that involves talking about his and Casey's relationship.

"I had a lot to do with the reason Casey didn't tell me."

"Yeah, I figured as much. I wanted to be mad at her, but without knowing the whole story..." He trails off, looking at Derek who shakes his head. "Yeah, I didn't think you would be in a sharing mood, especially after your talk with Marti." He laughs at the expression on Derek's face. "Yeah, I'm not as thick as I seem. For one, I know how close you two are, and the fact that she dragged you out of bed that early, had to be because she was looking for answers. I'm glad you told someone, I suppose." He sighs, "Derek, are you going to try and get custody?"

"No, I don't think so. I think Casey and I are going to try and work it out on our own." He looks sheepish, "I think we've put the family enough the past few years; I can't imagine how a custody battle would affect everyone."

George looks relieved, and they talk a little more about getting Derek's will up to date so that Serenity is cared for. As they start to head back to the house again, his dad asks, "So, are you... well, do you intend on patching things up with Casey completely?"

"What?"

"Do you want to get back together with Casey? Maybe get married?"


	6. Chapter 6

"And please be careful with the amount of junk food you feed her, Derek," Casey says anxiously, smoothing their daughter's hair back.

Serenity rolls her eyes, smiling. "Mom," she says, nudging the hand away. Casey hides her disappointment well. "I'll make sure daddy eats his vegetables." Serenity giggles and Derek's heart swells as it does every time Serenity calls him her father.

He elbows Casey lightly. "Relax, Case. It's going to be fine. We will be fine." She opens her mouth to respond, but the flight attendant starts calling their flight. She closes it, pulling Serenity in for a hug. The little girl hugs her tightly, and Casey whispers something in her ear. Serenity laughs.

Derek waits on the side, patiently. When she let's go of Serenity, she turns to him. He can see the hesitation as she starts to go for a hug and then pulls back. "Take care, Derek." He nods, his hand twitching at his side as he contemplates reaching out to hug her.

"You, too." Serenity rolls her eyes at them, going to take her place in line. Both Derek and Casey follow her with their eyes. "You know, you can call to check in anytime."

"Careful what you wish for."

Derek laughs. "You think I've forgotten what you're like? I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it." He turns from watching Serenity to face Casey. "I know I'm going to miss her at the end of the summer; I can imagine you're already missing her." He pretends not to notice the tears as she nods. "So, call me. Anytime."

He doesn't tell her how badly he wants her to call.

The line starts moving. Casey nudges him forward, "Let me know when you guys land, please."

It's a relatively short plane ride, but it beats making the drive. Derek alternates between entertaining his daughter and replaying the conversation with his dad.

_"Do you want to get back together with Casey?"_

It's not that simple, and he had told his dad as much, but George seemed to think it was a yes or no question. There was history there, and while he is polite for the sake of their daughter, Derek was still pretty pissed about being kept in the dark. He understands why Casey did it, but that doesn't mean he has forgiven her.

Not to mention, it's not entirely his decision.

_"It's at least partly your decision. If you want it, you have to make that decision. I don't know what happened, and I know neither of you is going to fill us in, but you have to remember that your decisions affect the rest of your family, and they'll affect Serenity. Before you do anything, you have to know that you are doing the best thing for her, and then worry about what's best for you."_

When they land, Derek sends Casey a text: _Plane has landed._

Her reply is swift: _Good. I was worried the plane wouldn't be able to withstand the weight of your ego._

He chuckles and is typing when she sends another message: _Thank you._

She calls every night after her conversation with Serenity to get a detailed report. "Didn't you just hear about her day?"

Casey snorts, "Yes, but now I want to hear about it from a parent."

He doesn't mind.

...

They have their first fight: Serenity and Derek.

It's not so much a fight, as it is his first real parenting moment; It happens on their way back from her ballet lesson. Up until then, things had been pretty easy. It kills him a little to admit it, but Casey, without his help, has managed to raise a pretty decent kid. She goes to bed when she's told, although sometimes she wants to stay up to read a book. She's smart, quick-witted, and pretty easy going. When she's upset, she doesn't have a problem articulating her emotions, and what's bothering her. Derek remembers being Serenity's age and being unable to identify what he was feeling. He won't admit it to Casey, but being able to name the emotion, makes it easier to resolve the problem.

There hasn't been a lot of back talk, disobedience, or tantrums. Granted, she's a bit too old for tantrums, but he remembers Marti at seven, and she was known for having her moments.

She hadn't slept well the night before and was in a bad mood by the time he picks her up. She'd been moody all morning, flipping between happy and frustrated in an instant.

Derek's not entirely sure how it starts, but he's joking with her trying to get her in a better mood. "Just shut up already," Serenity snaps.

Derek blinks, pulling his eyes from the road to glance at her in the mirror. "Whoa, kid. I know you're not having the best day, but there's no need for all that."

She rolls her eyes—channeling her mother—and shifts to face out the window. He can hear her mumble something under her breath, and his hands tighten on the wheel.

"What?"

She inhales deep, letting her breath out in an annoyed huff. "I said, you're not the boss of me."

He blinks, confused. He's not trying to boss her around, just talk things out. "I am your dad, though, and there should be a level of respect there—"

She snorts, "You've been a dad for like, what, a month?" She presses her face against the glass, closing her eyes. "Earn it."

Derek feels like he's been kicked in the stomach. It's not his fault that he wasn't around, but he's the one being punished for it. "When we get home," he says calm and even, "you're going to have dinner, then you're taking a shower and going to bed."

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat."

"I need to talk to mom."

He sighs, "Talk to her before bed, but after that, I'm taking the phone."

Dinner is tense and silent. Serenity pushes her food around her plate, manages a few bites, but she tells him she's really not hungry. Her tone has calmed down, so he lets her go take her shower. Derek stands outside her room as she talks to Casey. He feels only slightly guilty about being satisfied when Serenity gives Casey the same attitude treatment that he received. He can't hear the words, but he recognizes the tone.

When the call ends, he goes in and takes her phone, and anything else she might play with. Derek talks her in and tries not to take it personally when she turns her head away when he goes for a goodnight kiss on the forehead. "Alright," he says, "You need some space tonight." He backs away, cracking the door as he heads out.

By the time he's back in his room, Casey is already calling him. "Is she okay?" She asks, as soon as he answers.

"You picked up on that, huh?" He asks. He's not so polite, either, but he can't help but feel his resentment toward her a little stronger right now. "What did she tell you."

"Nothing really. Gave me a brief rundown of where she went, but nothing specific. She's in a bad mood." There's a question under there, but she's waiting for Derek to volunteer the information.

Derek snorts. "Yeah, she is. She told me to shut up in the car, and said that I've only been a dad for a month, and I'd have to earn respect."

Casey is silent on the other end, and he feels a sense of satisfaction. "I'm sorry, Derek." Her voice is thick, and just like that his anger is gone. He sighs. "I should have done things differently. I can't believe she said that. It's so unlike her to be that rude, even when she's moody."

Derek shifts at the word moody. "Uh, Case." He can feel his ears growing pink.

"Hm?"

"I'm not sure at what age _that_ starts happening."

"What?"

"You know?"

He can almost picture her face all scrunched up as she asks, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Derek pinches the bridge of his nose. "Should I go to the store and buy..." he can't help but whisper, "feminine products?"

There's a long pause, and then Casey is laughing hysterically on the other line. "You want to— you think that she—" she can't even get the words out. "I can't believe you called it 'that' wht are you, twelve?"

"Hey, I'm trying here."

She sobers. "Yes, you are." A giggle makes its way through. "No, we have a few years on that. I know some girls have started to get their periods a little early, but that has to do with hormones in food, and she pretty much eats organic food with no growth hormones added."

"And no milk," Derek recites, obediently.

"Is she warm?"

"What?"

"Does she have a fever? She's mean when she's sick."

"I hadn't checked. Maybe. She did look a little pale and said she wasn't hungry. Hold on," Derek takes the phone with him as he sneaks back into Serenity's room. She's already asleep, so he tries not to disturb her as he puts his wrist to her forehead. "She's burning up," he whispers. He goes to get the thermometer. When he returns, Serenity protests sleepily.

Derek finally gets her to take the thermometer, and a minute later he's back on the phone with Casey. "It's high."

"How high?" He can hear the worry in her voice. He tells her. "Derek, she needs to go to the emergency room."

…

He keeps Casey updated once they get to the hospital. Unfortunately, most of those updates are things like "No news yet" and "they've put her on fluids." She decides to make the drive because getting a flight will take too long. "She's going to be okay, Case," Derek tells her at the end of each call. "Drive safe."

...

He's asleep when Casey nudges him awake later. Her eyes are watery and red like she's been crying. "You look like shit," he mutters, the same instant he pulls her in for a hug. She hits him before burying her face into his shoulder, letting out a sniffling sigh.

"My phone died," she tells him, and he wants to laugh. This is the opposite of prepared and planned Casey. He doesn't, though, because he gets it.

He points to the wall, "You can use mine." She nods, but she goes to Serenity's side instead. Their child is asleep and pale.

"Anything new?"

Derek shakes his head, watching as Casey carefully takes Serenity's small hands in hers. "A lot of exams, a lot of blood tests, but nothing concrete at this point. They think it might be an infection. The doctor called it 'one of those things.'" His tone indicates how much that phrase irritates him. Derek hates it. What does it even mean?

He can see it on Casey's face, she hates it, too.

...

It turns out to be one of those things. It's nothing too serious, but having Serenity at the hospital helps to improve her condition. It was nothing they did or didn't do, she just happened to catch something. Casey mutters a lot about people who don't vaccinate their kids, and Derek has to talk her out of visiting Serenity's ballet school to meet the other parents.

When Serenity is released from the hospital, she follows Derek back to his apartment. There's paparazzi outside, which usually doesn't bother him, but now he's frustrated with his daughter being sick.

"Venturi, is the kid yours?"

"Who is her mother?"

"Did you know?"

Casey sneaks around them, and no one pays any attention to her. Derek envies her. He wants to respond to them, put the rumors to rest, but not without talking to Casey (and his manager) first. He doesn't want the whole story out there (he's had some crazy fans in the past, and Derek can't imagine what some of them would do if they found out that someone hid his kid from him), but he wants to acknowledge his daughter as his.

Derek pushes through, ignoring the questions until he's safely inside. Casey's waiting for him at the elevator. "What did you tell them?" She asks. She avoids looking at him by pushing the button to go up, but he sees her glance at him from the corner of her eyes. It makes him smile to know he can still read her.

"Nothing."

...

Casey stays for three days following Serenity's return to the apartment. Every night talking to her on the phone, Derek knew he missed her. Somehow, having her in the apartment, the aching feeling is stronger. He wonders when he'll get tired of pretending that he doesn't need her. Eight years out of college, and the instinct to touch her when he passes her is still impossible to ignore.

They're adults, but he finds himself pulling her hair and bumping her shoulder when he passes just like he did in high school.

Derek wakes the first morning that she stays to the smell of bacon. There's music softly playing in the kitchen, and he can hear the faint sound of her voice singing along. He has to lay in bed an extra minute to wipe the smile on his face before he can leave the room.

He checks on Serenity first, and she's in her room with a breakfast tray with toast and apple juice that, knowing Casey, is probably watered down. "Hey, kid."

She beams at him, but then her smile falls. "I'm sorry."

He goes into the room, sitting on the edge of her bed. "For what?" He mimics the same motion he's seen Casey do a thousand times at this point, and smoothes back her hair. She's still warm, but he knows the temperature is gone.

"What I said, the other day, when I was sick." She won't look at him, and there's so much of him and Casey in this small child.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "Don't worry about it. Sometimes we say things we don't mean. We should try to avoid saying those things to our family though, yeah?"

She thinks about it, then nods. When Derek stands up, Serenity takes his hand to keep him from leaving, and says, "have you ever said something you don't mean to your family?"

He thinks about Casey, and '_we both know that this wasn't going to last, anyway._'

"Yeah."

...

When he goes into the kitchen, Casey looks up at him, amused. "What?" He resists the urge to smooth down his hair.

"I thought you'd be out here for the bacon sooner than that. You must be getting old, the nose not working like it used to." She taps her own nose to make her point.

Derek rolls his eyes. "I was checking on our daughter."

"Before bacon, my have we grown." She's teasing, but the words strike a nerve with him.

"Catching up on lost time," he snarks back. Casey's face falls, and he immediately regrets it. He softens his tone, "Thanks for breakfast."

She nods, sliding off the breakfast stool. She goes to start washing the dishes; her shoulders are stooped, and her head is tucked in as she turns on the water. Derek feels even guiltier.

He sticks his hand in the water as he passes the sink, flinging the excess water into her face. She laughs, and they're back on equal footing.

That night, when he sees her making up her bed on the couch again, he drops onto the cushion. "You know, she's doing better. I can take care of her."

"I know you can."

"So, you don't have to stay." He doesn't want her to go, but he doesn't need Casey to babysit him to make sure that he can care for Serenity.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" She asks, brow arched. "Am I cramping your style?"

He laughs, "Not with Serenity in the house." They have an agreement. He intends to stick with that. Her shoulders relax. "I'm not trying to get rid of you. I just know you have work, and I don't want you to feel like you can't trust me to take care of her."

Her eyes shift away from him, and she fiddles with the pillow in her hand. She looks back at him, though, when he mentions trust. "I do trust you." Her tone is soft, surprised. She's hiding something from him, but he knows she's speaking the truth here.

Derek ignores the flood of warmth he feels at that. "You're worried about her?"

"A little." She drops beside him on the couch, clutching the pillow to her chest. "She looked so small in the hospital bed." Derek nods, but he says nothing. He's quiet, waiting. Casey shifts on the couch and then turns to him. "That's not the only reason I'm staying, though." She admits, sheepishly.

"Oh?" How is this woman a lawyer, when he can get answers from her so quickly?

Casey shakes her head. "I have some errands to run in the area tomorrow." Derek arches a brow in surprise.

"What could you possibly have to do here?"

"I'll tell you later when everything is settled." Casey looks smug, and no matter what tactic he tries (including tickling—this amused Serenity to no end when she comes to see what all the fuss is about), she won't admit to what she's got going on.

It isn't until he's in his room later that night (Casey refused to take the bed and let him sleep on the cough) that Derek realizes he didn't get her to admit anything. Casey gave him enough information to get him curious and withheld the rest. He's rather proud of this showing of devious character.

...

Her unexpected presence, however, allows him to have a discussion with his ex-girlfriend about admitting Serenity to being his daughter. It's not an easy one, and they have a long conversation about what it will mean for him when someone goes poking into it and finds out that he had a kid with his stepsister. "Our parents already know, and they haven't shunned us. Neither have Sam or Ralph." Derek shrugs. "That's all I really care about."

Casey nods. "I suppose." She still seems worried, but not so much about her job or how it might affect her, so Derek doesn't worry about it.

...

When Casey leaves a few days later, he still hasn't learned what her mysterious errands were, and he hates how much he doesn't want her to go. Casey, for her part, seems reluctant as well, but he chalks that up to her not wanting to be separated from her daughter. She gives Serenity a long hug, kissing the girl's forehead before she skips off to resume her coloring. "So, alright if I come back in a few weeks?" She asks.

"More mysterious errands?" He can't resist one last ditch effort.

There's a twinkle in her eye. "Maybe," she laughs. "I just don't like being away." He notes that he doesn't specify just being away from Serenity, and he tries not to read too much into the statement.

"My home is your home," he tells her, sincerely. She turns pink and ducks her head.

"Careful what you say," she teases before she turns and heads down the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

Her errands around town aren't all that secretive. She's just not sure how Derek will react, and she doesn't know if it will pan out like she hopes. Nora seems to disagree. "I saw how he is with Serenity, he'll love having her close by."

"Even if it means having me close by as well?" Casey pokes her head around the corner to look at the real estate agent who is patiently waiting. Honestly, she's probably relieved for the break. Casey has been incredibly picky with her choices and hasn't been the easiest client to deal with.

Nora hums into the phone, she's scrolling through the pictures of the house that Casey had e-mailed her. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." It's an older building, mostly made from brick. It's four bedrooms, with a huge back yard and a sizeable back deck. When she first saw the house, Casey thought she saw ghosts. She could practically see Serenity running through the halls, chasing after a chubby little toddler (that isn't the strange part, as she's always wanted another child; what made it uncomfortable was the image was another perfect blend of her and Derek's genes—she blamed it on all the time spent at Derek's apartment).

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"My darling daughter, you know I love you."

"Yes."

"And I'm not going to lie to you."

"Okay..."

Nora sighs, rather heavily, "And I get the feeling you're not quite ready for what I have to say to you, despite everything, but if I'm wrong then feel free to push the matter."

There's a long pause during which the realtor takes a call outside.

"What do you think of the house?" Casey asks. She can almost feel her mother's disappointment.

"It's beautiful. The price is right, and there's a lot we can do with the space if you're interested." Casey let's out a relieved breath. "Please go tell the realtor that you're interested so that she can at least feel like her time and effort with you was not wasted."

"I haven't even decided if I'm moving, yet."

"Yes, you have. We will miss you and Serenity being so near, but it's going to be good for her to get to know her dad. Also, George and I think that you should have opened up your own firm a long time ago." Nora gives Casey a moment to contemplate her words. "Casey, honey, it's okay to commit."

Casey gets the feeling that her mother isn't just talking about the move or the house.

...

The realtor turns out to be incredibly relieved that Casey wants to put an offer on the house. She keeps talking up all the "wonderful" and "just delightful" aspects of the home and neighborhood as they go through the paperwork as if she's not sure that Casey is going to go through with it.

Casey thinks it's a little unfair. It's not like she's been off and on about different houses; there just hadn't been one that she liked.

"Alright, and we'll have the rest when you come back in a couple of weeks." With the paperwork signed, Angela seems more relaxed.

"Great," Casey beams. "I'm looking for an office space. Do you think at that time we could—"

"Unfortunately," Angela is quick to cut her off, "I don't do commercial real estate, but I have a friend I can put you in touch with."

"But your card says—"

Angela picks up the paperwork, stacking it neatly as she offers Casey her packet. "Old card. Wasn't my thing; I'm sticking to houses. I'll be in touch." Then she practically shoves Casey out the door of the office with a cheerful, "I'll see you at closing!"

...

It's fun keeping a secret from Derek. She knows that he was expecting her to cave as quickly as she did in high school, but she's grown up since then. She kept Derek's parentage away from their family for eight years, she can keep Derek in the dark about her plans for a little while longer.

"More mysterious errands?" He asks when Casey confirms that she can stay with him when she comes back in a few weeks. It makes her smile.

"Maybe," she admits with a laugh. She follows her teasing with a moment of rare honesty. "I just don't like being away." It takes a lot for her to admit, and in the back of her mind, she knows she's not just talking about being away from her daughter. Since she reentered Derek's life, she's been as consumed with thoughts of him as she was in high school.

"My home is your home," he tells her casually, and she wishes that he knows how much those words mean to her.

Casey can feel her cheeks heat up, but she plays it off going back to her mystery errands. "My home is your home." She hopes he means it when she tells him she and Serenity will be moving to town.

...

The next weeks pass slowly. Angela puts Casey in touch with a fantastic realtor who sends Casey different office properties. She narrows it down to five that she'd like to see in person when she's next in town.

She still talks to Serenity and Derek every night, and she misses them both with every conversation.

A few days before she's meant to see them, Casey has a long conversation with Serenity.

"Are you enjoying spending the summer with your dad?"

"Mhm! We're going to the zoo tomorrow."

"That's exciting."

"Yeah!" Serenity chatters excitedly about the different animals she's most excited about seeing.

"Listen, hon, I know that you have a lot of friends here, and Aunt Marti and grandpa and grandma all live here, but I've been thinking that maybe it would be better if we moved a little closer to your dad, so when the summer is over, you can see him whenever you want. It would mean a new school, but you're a lot like your dad; you'll make new friends easy. He can't really move closer to us right now, either, so it makes the most sense." Not to mention, she owes him for all the years she kept Serenity away. It's only fair that she makes the sacrifice of moving. "But, I don't want to make this decision without you. I've found a house, and I'll be looking at office space when I'm there in a few days, but nothing is committed to, yet. So you tell me what you want."

Serenity is quiet for a moment, thinking and internalizing. "A new school would suck," she says thoughtfully, "but I'm really going to miss daddy when the summer is over."

"And we can come to visit grandma and grandpa, too," Casey assures her. "Maybe make some time to see some of your old friends while we're here."

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Do [i]you[/i] want to move closer to daddy?"

It's Casey's turn to think over the question. "Yeah," she says softly. "I think I do."

Serenity thinks it over for another minute. "I think it's a great idea."

"Great, but don't tell your dad. I want to surprise him. He's going to be so excited to be closer to you."

...

She avoids the topic with Derek. He tries to bring it up a few different times, especially as the end of the summer approaches. She knows he's getting antsy about having to send Serenity back. Casey doesn't tell him that she's researched schools near him, that she's picked a school, and that she's found a house. She's not entirely sure why she's so hesitant to tell him.

"You're going to have to tell him eventually. George says that Derek is trying to figure out how to make more visits out here during the hockey season, and he's going to drive himself crazy trying to fit little visits in here and there."

"I'm going to tell him," Casey says, defensively. "As soon as I find an office."

"Casey," Nora warns.

"I'll tell him. I'm staying at his apartment tomorrow when I go look at places. I'll find one and tell him before I come back."

"Don't put it off much longer."

...

Serenity is at ballet when Casey comes back from office searching. As she promised, she found the perfect office space to start up her own law firm. She's in a pretty good mood when she lets herself into Derek's apartment.

"Good, you're back." Derek is sitting on the couch when she comes through the door. Despite the haze of her good mood, she can tell he's grouchy. "We need to talk."

Whatever it is, she gets the feeling that she's not going to like it. Her smile falls, and she moves to sit on the opposite end of the couch from her stepbrother. "Oh?"

"Yes." She waits, patiently, while he looks at her expectantly.

"As much as you know I enjoy talking, Derek, you brought this up, so you're going to have to start us off."

"Right." He takes a deep breath, and then they sit in silence for another five minutes, Casey unwilling to break the silence first. It is always going to be a contest between the two of them. Finally, he gathers his thoughts. "Casey, I think I've been fairly patient about this, and I don't want things to get ugly," her brow goes up. He pauses. "I love Serenity. She is my daughter, and I didn't get to be there for the first eight years of her life. I don't want to miss anymore."

Casey waits, but he doesn't say anything more. "I'm not keeping you away from her, Derek, if that's what you're worried about."

He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Dammit, Casey. I want to know what the plan is! I have rights to see her, and you've been dancing around the question since you first found out she was here."

"Derek,"

"You owe me!"

Casey, irritated, jumped from her seat. He stood to face her, as well. "I don't [i]owe[/i] you anything. I admit that I made a mistake; I was young, and it was not the right thing to do, but I don't [i]owe[/i] you. You made your choices, too. You were the one who made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me. I tried, Derek; I tried so many times to pick up the phone and call you, to tell you, because I thought you deserved to know."

She sniffs, realizing that tears are streaming down her cheeks. "I kept replaying everything you told me over and over in my head; I couldn't get it out. And I kept thinking about what your reaction would be when you heard from me, and what your reaction would be when I told you the truth. I'm sorry that I kept her from you, I really am, but you can't keep throwing it at me, and the blame is not mine alone!"

"You don't get to put the blame on me," Derek snaps. "If you had just told me, you wouldn't have had to guess at my reaction. You took her from me; I will never get that time back."

They both stand there, breathing heavily. Casey was trying to reign in her emotions. She knew that she was getting defensive. It was typical of them. In most situations, Casey would own up to her mistakes, she will work toward a solution. When it comes to Derek, however, her brain is wired to win, which means getting defensive and shoving his own failures back in his face.

"It's so typical," he says, irritably. "Rather than just fucking being straight with me, you have to push the blame on me. I know I fucked up, but it's nowhere near as bad as what you did." Casey flinches at the accuracy of his words.

"I don't know how I can make up eight years to you, Derek. You can't hold it against me forever."

He shrugs. "I don't know, maybe I can. I don't know that I can ever move past what you did. I just want to know that you aren't going to do it again."

"What did you mean when you said you don't want things to get ugly." Derek won't meet her eyes, and she feels sick in her stomach. "You're threatening to take me to court?"

"I don't think it will come to that, but—"

"I can't believe you were going to take me to court. What did you think that would achieve?"

"Whatever it takes to keep her in my life, Casey."

She can't help it; she shoves him. It's not hard, and it's more to put distance between them than anything, but it hurts. "I can't believe—"

"What am I supposed to do, Casey, you won't tell me anything. You won't commit to some kind of plan."

She turns to leave, yanking her arm out of his grasp when he tries to stop her. Casey snatches her purse as she heads for the door. "For the record, I was trying to get everything organized and figured out before I told you; I didn't want you to get your hopes up, and then it doesn't pan out." She yanks open the door and turns to face him. "I will not stop you from seeing Serenity, and I will not stop her from seeing you, Derek. I wish you would believe me when I say that. I found a house and an office. Serenity and I will be moving here, a few blocks away. Congratufuckinglations, you'll be able to see her whenever you want, have her over whenever you want. You're welcome."

Without waiting for a response, Casey leaves letting the door fall shut behind her.

She probably should have listened to her mother because it might have avoided the entire fight. Derek is perhaps justified, too, in wanting to make sure that he gets to see their daughter, but it still hurts.

Casey knows, too, that she overreacted a bit. This recognition comes a lot sooner than it would have in high school. She closes her eyes and leans against the door. Part of her wants to go back inside, and patch things up. The other part of her knows that they both need space right now, and honestly she's too embarrassed to hash it out right now.

Unsure where else to go, Casey calls Sam.


	8. Chapter 8

"You could have told me you were busy," Casey laments. Her voice is already hoarse from raising her voice to be heard.

Sam laughed. "Honestly, Casey, it's okay. It sounded like you needed to get away, and I know you don't really know anyone in the area." He puts a drink in her hand and leads her into the kitchen. When the doors fall shut behind them, the noise dulls some. "What's going on?"

Casey tells him all about the fight she had with Derek. "I hate to tell you this, but you should have told him sooner. You could have avoided the whole thing."

She can't believe how much he's grown since high school. The Sam she knew was always a people-pleaser. She's proud. "I know. I know. I know. I fall into a lot of old habits when it comes to him." Sam seems unsurprised. "I think I was scared?"

"Of Derek."

She snorts, rolling her eyes. "I am not scared of Derek."

"You were scared he was going to reject you," he amends.

Casey sputters. "Reject— what do you mean reject me? We're not— Sam, that was a long time ago." He stares at her, one brow raised; he could never read her as well as Derek (then again, no one could), but he's always been astute. "It's not happening again," she says, firmly. With conviction.

Because she believes it. She does!

"I don't even feel anything for him like that," she continues. Sam hasn't said anything, and she's struggling not to fill the silence; she doesn't want him to get the wrong idea.

Sam continues to stare. Casey looks down into her cup. Someone in the other room cheers.

"How are you at Beer Pong?" Sam asks.

It's been a few years, and they're no longer in college, but she grabs at the lifeline. They head back into the party and enter the informal competition that's happening.

Several hours later, Casey is wearing a cardboard Pong Crown slouched into the couch, and chatting with one of Sam's friends. They've been discussing in-depth opinions on one of her articles. Sam is watching them from the corner of his eye. She feels safe, sleepy. "So, how do you know Sam?" Everett asks.

She stares back at her first boyfriend. "We went to high school together." Casey turns back to her companion.

"And you two..." he gestures between the two of them, and it takes her a moment to get it.

Her cheeks pink. "Oh, no. We dated a long time ago when we were very young. We're better off friends."

Everett sits on this information for a moment. "Are you seeing anyone?"

The question catches her surprise. It always does, even when there's been an obvious lead-up. Since Serenity (since Derek), she's gone on few dates and nothing that has lasted very long. "Not exactly."

She's not sure why she adds the qualifier. She's not even sort of seeing someone. Everett looks at her to explain, and she wishes she had something more to give. Casey shrugs. "I don't actually live in town," she tries again. It's not quite an explanation, "but my daughter and I are planning and moving, so she can be closer to her dad."

He looks confused. She doesn't blame him. Taking a deep breath, Casey shakes her head. "No, I'm not seeing anyone, but I'm not exactly looking to start seeing anyone, either."

"Because of your kid's dad?"

As much as she doesn't want it to be true, she knows that Derek is a big part of her reluctance. "Yeah."

"How about just coffee. When are you leaving town?"

"Tomorrow."

"Let's have coffee. Coffee is casual, coffee in the morning says friendship." He smiles, and she finds herself accepting.

Later, when the house is empty, and Casey is helping Sam clean, her friend looks disappointed when she fills him in.

…

It's late when Casey gets back to Derek's apartment. Once again, he's waiting for her when she gets inside. "Derek—" he cuts her off.

Holding up his phone, he says, "Sam said you were on your way."

"Oh." She hesitates by the door. Derek runs his fingers through his hair.

"Casey—"

"Derek—"

They both start and stop at the same time.

"I'm sorry," she rushes in.

"Me too."

"You are?" She's surprised, and it prompts her to move forward, dropping onto the couch beside him.

He shrugs. "I could have been more patient. I also shouldn't have insinuated that I would take you to court. I wouldn't do that to our daughter." She sighs. "That was a dick move."

"Yeah," she agrees, marveling at how they've grown. "But I should have told you I was making plans."

"Yeah," he agrees.

They sit in silence for about five minutes when Derek interrupts. "Why do you smell like beer."

"Sam was having a party." She examines her nails. They may have cleared the air, but there are still some hurt feelings there. "I should get some sleep, I'm meeting someone for coffee in the morning." She gestures to the couch.

"Right." Derek hops up, then stares down at her. "Is it about the house or the office? Can I see the house."

"Oh." She shifts away from him, adjusting the blanket on the couch. "Uh, no. The coffee is— I made— it's a friend?" She hates how unsure she sounds. "But, um, we can all three go have lunch together, then go see the house?"

There's a slight twitch, but he otherwise accepts the offer.

…

Despite the noticeable tension in the air, the viewing of their new house goes well. Serenity runs from room to room, calling out to her parents each time she finds something new and exciting about their place.

Casey recognizes the look on Derek's face as he looks around. There's the ingrained competition between them that makes him want to find something wrong with the house. Then, there's the grudging acceptance as he later admits that it's perfect. As he gazes around the living room, peering out the window into the back yard, Derek quietly tells Casey, "It's everything I ever imagined for the two of you." She's familiar with most of Derek's expressions, but this one alludes her and the tone, too, she can't quite place.

They go out to eat together, the three of them, and it's an almost picture of what could have been. Serenity and Casey debate the Merit of ordering dessert when a waiter wanders by with a plate of warm apple pie, a la mode. It's then that Casey gets it. Serenity looks just like her father as she stares after the warm pie with melting ice cream. Casey remembers the same expression on Derek's face when Sally would walk by at Smellie Nellie's, the same look on his face earlier this afternoon.

Longing.

She just doesn't understand what that expression is doing on Derek's face, in her new house.

She continues this contemplation as they leave the restaurant, but it's soon interrupted by a flashing light in their face. "Venturi, is it true that the mother of your kid is your stepsister?"

Another voice interrupts, "Any comment that your child is born out of incest?" The words freeze her. She knew that it might come up. That some ignorant people would jump to such conclusions. But to have the word thrown in her face like that, and in public. It was jarring, particularly after their enjoyable day. Casey and Derek had talked about this when they decided on how he would approach claiming Serenity, but she hadn't expected this.

A loud buzzing filled her ears as anger and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She couldn't even hear the questions that were being asked, barely felt as Derek ushered her and Serenity into the backseat of his car. She only tuned in when she heard Derek's voice. "Serenity's mother and I were very much in love when Serenity was conceived. Yes, our relationship was unconventional as we met at fifteen when our parents married. Our daughter, however, was not born out of an incestuous relationship. Her mother and I had a very normal, healthy, if slightly unconventional relationship. If you want something to fuel your gossip magazines, find your story elsewhere. If you're looking for truth, feel free to reach out to my manager for a comment."

It was along the same vein of the statement that Derek's manager had released after all the speculation about Serenity. It is well-rehearsed, and Derek delivers it calmly, but Casey hears the tension in his voice, the barely checked anger. When he climbs into the car, she can see the tick of his cheek as he grinds his teeth, the hunch of his shoulders as he puts the car into drive.

"Mommy," Serenity whispers, "What's incest?"

It is challenging to have people question their relationship so openly, it's hard seeing Derek so angry and knowing that she is, in some way, the cause of it. The hardest part, though, is not being able to completely shield Serenity from the hurtful, ugly remarks of people who don't know better.

They arrive back to Derek's apartment, and together they sit Serenity down for a very long conversation. It's the first time, really, that the two of them parent together. In the back of her mind, Casey can't help but notice how completely natural and right it feels.

Serenity, of course, is aware that her relationship with her family is a tad unconventional. At her age, though, she never understood what the issue is. Casey hates that they have to explain it to her. "Better to deal with it now, then to have her confront it when she's older," Derek says after they tuck in a seemingly well-adjusted child to bed.

"Do you really think so?"

Derek shrugs. "I don't know. I think if you try to hide it from her, it's going to come out later and the fact that we weren't honest with her is going to make her think there's something wrong and shameful about where she comes from. If we're upfront with her, it won't blindside her in the future."

She considers his words. "Yeah," Casey agrees after a beat.

They sit together in companionable silence. If Derek takes her hand in a gesture of comfort, well that can stay between them, now can't it?

* * *

**a/n: Sorry for the wait, and I know it's a bit shorter than my normal chapters which sucks after waiting so long. However, I figured rather than waiting another two weeks before I'll be able to post again, I'd at least give everyone something. Test is next week, so should be back to a normal posting schedule the week after... whatever that is (at least a chapter a week?). Anyway, I also created a Dasey Discord for those of you who use the app. Share Dasey stories, art, etc. Saw a suggestion for someone to do so on Tumblr, so I did it. Anyway, feel free to join! At any rate, you can always use it as a platform to bug me for posts and get people to share with you stories you've yet to read.**** If you're interested, send me a PM or comment, and I'll send you the link.**


	9. Chapter 9

The sound of the whistle fills the rink followed quickly by the sounds of skates digging into the ice to stop. Derek shoulder bumps Sam, smiling. It was a good practice, and he's in a good mood. On the other side of Sam, Everett smiles in the distance, raising a hand to wave. He follows his gaze, curious to see who Everett's flavor of the month is now.

He must have a look on his face because Sam chuckles and elbows him in the ribs. "Why are you waving at Casey?" Derek can hear the growl in his voice, but can't figure out how to prevent the sound.

Everett blinks back at him, confused. "How do you know Casey?" He counters.

They reach the edge of the rink at the same time, but Everett beats him through the opening. "Hey, Casey. How'd you know where to find me?" Everett seems far too excited to see Derek's stepsister.

She shifts on her feet, uncomfortable. "Actually..." she trails off, looking past the hockey player to Derek who feels a strange sense of triumph. She glances back, apologetically, to Everett. Before she can say anything, she's interrupted.

"Daddy!" Serenity's voice echoes through the rink, and Serenity comes running up to Derek, throwing herself in his arms even though he still has his skates on. It's one of the best things about the pair moving closer to Derek. He gets to see Serenity, and now and then they turn up to surprise him at his apartment or the rink. He enjoys every second that they're there, and misses them (yes, both of them), when they're gone. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if Casey hadn't moved.

"Serenity, careful!" Casey calls after their daughter. She looks apologetic. "She wanted to surprise you," she explains to Derek who manages to keep his balance while holding Serenity.

"It's a pleasant surprise," he assures them both. Not that either of them had thought it wouldn't be.

Everett looks between Serenity and Casey, giving the latter a weak smile. "Serenity is your daughter," he confirms. Casey nods. "Ah."

Eager to cut their conversation short, Derek puts his daughter down and steps out of his skates so they can make their way over. "Are you two coming over for dinner?" He's careful to exclude Everett from the invitation. Don't want to leave room for any confusion. From the corner of his eye, Derek can see Sam laughing. Derek subtly flicks him the finger as Serenity looks to her mother for confirmation.

"Yeah, we're coming for dinner," she says.

"But only if mommy can cook," Serenity amends. It elicits a laugh from her mother. She misses the look that Everett shoots her.

"We should follow up on our coffee date from the other day," Everett interrupts.

Derek is pleased to see the invitation startles Casey. "Oh, um..."

"Maybe lunch tomorrow?"

He's not sure what possesses him to interrupt with, "Don't forget we have that thing tomorrow?" Maybe it's the fact that Casey looks like she might accept, out of politeness at the very least.

She scrunches up her nose. "What thing?"

"You know," he leans in and stage whispers, "that doctor appointment?" Her brow arches up, so he continues. Really, she's doing it to herself. "The one to remove the stick up your—"

"Derek!" Casey swats him, he laughs, and then she's off chasing him leaving Serenity, Sam, and Everett to watch. Casey corners him just before the locker room, poking at his ribs. When he doesn't laugh, she pokes harder. "Ow."

"Padding, Case. I'm unticklable."

"I don't think that's a word."

Derek shrugs. "Doesn't matter if it's not a word; it's the truth." He wiggles his fingers in her direction. "You, however, are not."

Casey takes a step away. "Derek," her voice holds a warning. "Don't you dare!" He lunges forward before she can get away, and then she's the one laughing hysterically, backed up against the wall.

"Call mercy," he demands, barely containing a laugh himself.

"Never," Casey manages between a fit of giggles.

He's pressed up against her, his hands tickling her sides, their faces inches apart. Her hair has come loose from its ponytail (and he always loves her best like this, because it reminds him she's not as perfect as she'll lead you to believe), and her cheeks are red from the cold of the rink, and the laughter. It hits him in the gut how much he's missed her. Not just her, but how much he missed having her as her girlfriend in the years following their separation. Her eyes lock onto his, and...

And, the spell is broken as the door to the locker room opens up. "Gross, Venturi. Get a room."

The stepsiblings spring apart. Casey immediately straightens her clothes and hair. "Uh, Serenity and I will wait for you," she gestures to where they had run from. Derek glances over and is satisfied that Everett isn't waiting around.

"Yeah, okay." He agrees. It feels like a step backward somehow, although he can't figure out why.

...

Sam follows him into the locker room. "You two sure looked cute."

"Shut it."

Sam shrugs. "I'm just saying; you looked less like Derek and Casey, stepsiblings at war, and more like Derek and Casey, the couple." Derek hits his head on the locker. "You want to get back with her?"

"I don't know. There's a lot of history there. I hurt her, she hurt me, and I don't know." He doesn't bring his head up from the locker, and Sam doesn't say anything. "Yeah," Derek admits. "I do."

"I think she does, too, but I think she's in denial about it."

Derek snorts. "Nothing new there. She's always been in denial when it comes to us."

"I think Everett is interested in her."

Derek begins the long process of removing his gear, his friend follows suit. "Tell me something I don't know."

"You have a second chance with Casey, and I think you should take it."

…

"Daddy," Serenity plops onto the couch beside him. He glances at her wearily. In the short time that he's gotten to know his daughter, he's found her to be as mischevious as he was at that age, but with Casey's brains. It's a scary combination. "I think your friend wants to take mommy on a date."

"Yeah, I think so, too."

She studies him for a moment before continuing, "I think mommy wants to go on a date."

"She likes Everett?"

Serenity gives him a look like he's said something dumb. "No, I think she wants to go on a date. She gets lonely, I think. I mean, even before we moved she was lonely, but she had friends and grandma and grandpa. Now she just has her firm, and she's the only one who works there, so she hasn't made any friends."

Derek considers this, feeling a little guilty. He's made time for Serenity since the move, and they both come to eat, or he'll go to their house, but he hasn't made much of an effort to check how Casey was settling in. The sacrifice she made to move here isn't lost on him, either. "So, she's lonely and needs friends. That doesn't mean she needs to go on a date."

Serenity shrugs. "Corinthia thinks everyone needs love."

"Well, you love your mother."

Serenity rolls her eyes, looking just like Casey. "Of course I do, but there are different kinds of love, silly."

"Of course, there are."

"And people need all types of love to thrive."

Derek squints at her. "Have you been watching Oprah again?"

She shrugs but looks away, meaning that she has. "Aunt Marti keeps asking me how mommy is adjusting."

"Your Aunt Marti should learn not to ask children such questions."

"She's worried."

"Did she tell you that, too?" Serenity nods. Derek sighs.

"So, will you?"

"Will I what?"

It's Serenity's turn to sigh, sounding like an exasperated parent. "Take mommy on a date?"

"And who will watch you?"

"Uncle Sam. Or Aunt Marti can come to visit and watch me."

"That's pretty far for Aunt Marti to come just to babysit."

Serenity shrugs again. "She wants to visit, anyway. Clean two counters with one sponge." It takes Derek a moment to translate the metaphor, and he almost laughs out loud. Of course, Casey wouldn't teach her to kill two birds with one stone.

"Look it's not that simple—"

"What's not that simple?" Casey interrupts. She's drying her hands on one of his kitchen towels, standing in her bare feet and she'd let her hair down. Casey looking at home in his apartment does things to his chest and stomach that it takes Derek a second longer to come up with a response.

Serenity beats him to it, "Teaching me to play poker."

"Gambling is an addiction, Serenity."

Their daughter nods, dutifully. "But I want to beat Uncle Edwin at Christmas."

"We'll see," Derek says sighing. He already knows he'll end up teaching her how to play poker.

…

Before practice the next day, Everett drops onto the bench beside Derek. They both lace up their skates quietly until Everett interrupts the peaceful silence. "So, what's the deal with you and Casey?"

"What's the deal with you and Casey?" Derek counters back.

"We met at Sam's party. I invited her to dinner, she said no, so I invited her to coffee because there is less string attached with a coffee date."

"We share a kid."

"Ah." Everett stares at his laces for a moment. "She said she was moving here so her daughter could be closer to her dad, and that she wasn't looking to date because of him." Derek shrugs, unsure of how to respond to that. There could be a number of reasons that Casey wasn't dating because of him. "Are you two still..."

He shrugs again. "We're always going to be involved with one another, even without Serenity. It's the way we are, and the way we have been since the day her mom married my dad." Everett makes a face. "Is there a problem?"

"No. Didn't realize how much history there was is all. If it's weird for you, I can stop trying to pursue something."

"It's not weird for me," Derek says, too quickly.

"Right." They finish lacing up their skates, and Everett starts to take off.

"But, uh, Everett?" The other man turns. "You should probably stop trying to pursue something. Casey is... she's very Casey."


	10. Chapter 10

To Derek's relief, Everett takes the hint to avoid Casey's crazy (or he read between the lines, but that only occurs to Derek because he's feeling particularly introspective as of late).

The point is, Everett doesn't pursue anything with Casey. She hardly seems bothered by it, too, because she doesn't reach out to him. The Casey from his youth who would force herself to be interested in a guy for the sake of having someone is long gone. Not to mention, she's been working herself to death trying to get her firm off the ground.

"I don't have time for dating, Derek," she said, irritably, when he brought it up. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because if you're off on a date, then you're bothering me less." Her shoulders hunched over, and he's familiar enough to recognize the hurt.

"So you want me to call Everett?"

"No!" She turned from her desk, and he could see the stress in her eyes. She wants to prove that she can do this, that can own her own firm. Her brows arched, and he realized he was too quick to answer. "No dating my friends."

"I wasn't aware that you're friends."

"Well, we're on a team together."

"You can't stand Michael," she points out, and it shouldn't thrill him that she's noticed though he's never said anything about it.

"No dating my teammates."

"I'm not." She seems overly confused, so Derek feels pretty successful.

"Why don't I stay the night and hang out with Serenity," he offers. Some of the tension eases from her shoulders.

Derek ended up staying the night feeling much better about the solution. He can't sleep that night, though. It's absolutely everything to do with the too-soft mattress Casey picked out for the guest room, and nothing to do with the fact that he's worried about trying to find a way to help her out.

…

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, they have settled into a routine. Derek picks up Serenity from school most days, and she hangs out with him at Casey's house until Casey pulls herself away from the office. Then, Casey makes them all dinner. After, she helps Serenity with her homework, and then Derek lets Serenity read to him before she gets ready for bed. He'll supervise bedtime, while Casey crams some work in.

She's still struggling with getting cases, but she's settled into a bit of a routine, and she's got some cases pending, so she's not as stressed. "Once I wrap up a few of them, everything else will fall into place," she assures Derek the night before they're set to leave for the drive back home. Together. He's staying the night again.

Honestly, "it would be easier if I just moved in." He'd never really understood the term _pregnant pause_ before now, but one second they're having a conversation, and the next he can practically feel the tension in the air. "What?"

"You want to move in?" She says, her voice high and panicked.

He hadn't meant to say it out loud, it had been a passing thought, but now that it's out there. "Yeah. Why not?"

"Why not? What do you mean, 'why not?' There are plenty of reasons why _not_."

Derek sits up from where he was lounging on the couch. "Name three?"

"What kind of message would that send to our daughter? What would our parents think? What would your fans think? You have an apartment! There, that's four! And there are probably a dozen more."

"It would tell her daughter that her parents can get along well enough to be mature about something that would be in her best interest." In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he was sure this was the best idea. "Our parents probably wouldn't care. I mean, they hardly batted an eye when you revealed we had a kid together, so I doubt this will be an issue. Who cares what they think? I don't know, I think some people might like us back together. I read an article the other day where they called us Dasey. As for my apartment, well that's easily sold."

"Why does your name go first?" Casey asks, momentarily distracted. Derek thinks it's a good sign. She just needs to adjust to the idea.

"Think about it, Casey. Half the time I'm staying the night over here already. If I'm not, you two are almost always at my apartment. I'd get more time with Serenity, and I'd be able to help more on the nights you have to work late." She leans back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Come on, give me one _good_ reason."

"I—" she pauses, starts again, and then gives up a second time.

"I thought you had a dozen more." She opens her mouth, and Derek is quick to interrupt. He's now convinced that this is a great idea. "Sleep on it. Think about it. Make a list of pros and cons. Talk it over with someone, then come back and we'll talk about it." Her mouth shuts at the mention of a pro and con list. "You love lists," he teases.

She whacks him on the arm, and he laughs.

…

The next morning, they're in the car to start the drive to their parent's house for Thanksgiving weekend. It's a long drive, but they'd agreed to drive rather than fly to avoid some of the airport crowds. An hour into the ride, Serenity has her headphones on and is ignoring both of her parents. Casey has been relatively quiet, but now she reaches over and shuts off the radio. "Hey, you like that song," Derek protests. Aren't they a little old to be fighting over the radio.

Casey glances back at their daughter, then faces forward. "I want to have a life one day."

"Umm. News flash, Case, you didn't even have a life in high school. What makes you think you're going to have one now?" She hits him again.

"I _mean_, I want to get married, maybe have more kids. I want to build a life with someone."

"If that's a proposal, McDonald, it's a pretty poor one." She raises her hand to swat him again, and he catches it.

"Derek, be serious."

"Okay, okay. It's just, this is a little out of the blue for me."

She rolls her eyes, snatching her hand back. "I never really dated after I had Serenity. Maybe went on a couple of dates? I don't know. It was hard being a single mom, and at that point, no one wants to date someone with a kid, right? So I kind of gave up on it for a while. Now, a little later in life, people are a little more opening about dating someone with kids. Some people might even be understanding about how involved you are in their life. Most guys will have trouble understanding all of that. Include that my exboyfriend is my stepbrother, is the father of my child, and is also living with me. It doesn't look good. Say I do find someone willing to overlook all that; what am I supposed to do if I get married? Serenity will be used to having you around, by then."

Derek had planned responses for almost any issue that Casey might have thrown at him. He hadn't anticipated this one. Of course, he had suspected that Casey wanted to marry one day, that she might even want more children. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he hated to admit that he hoped he would be an option.

It didn't seem like Casey had the same notion anywhere in her mind.

He doesn't say anything, and Casey starts shifting in her seat. "Derek?"

"I'm processing," he says, rather dryly. "Look, I'll admit I said it on a bit of a whim, but I still think it's a great idea, despite everything you just said. But you know I'm not great with words, especially when it's important. So, give me some time to think this over. Okay?"

"Okay."

…

The rest of the car ride is silent. Casey turns back on the radio, occasionally singing along. When they stop for lunch, Serenity fills in for most of the conversation. She's pretty perceptive because she's ordinarily content if no one is feeling particularly chatty. She does manage to drag a smile out of Casey, easing some tension for the rest of the trip.

Still, it's a relief when they pull up to the familiar house Derek had spent most of his life in. They quickly stumble from the car to stretch their legs, and before they can even begin unloading their things, a bundle of purple and black charges into Derek. "Oof," he chuckles as the air is knocked out of him, and he wraps his arms around Marti. "Hey, Smarti."

"Derek," she greets, squeezing tight.

"When did you add purple to your hair?"

She shrugs. "Like a week ago or so."

"She's acting out," George says from the porch. Derek looks up and grins at his dad. "I wonder where she gets it from."

"Not the faintest clue," Derek says, innocently. Casey snorts from her side of the car, where she's grabbing Serenity's bag.

The young Venturi launches herself into George's arms, "Grandpa!" He holds her tight, and Derek almost feels guilty for enjoying that Casey and Serenity had moved away for him. Almost.

They eventually get into the house with their bags and things, and then there is more hugging, more talking over one another. It's loud and chaotic for a moment, just like it always has been. Lizzie and Edwin are already there, too, so they're the last to arrive.

Later, when the novelty had worn off, and they had all divided to catch up, George pulls Derek aside. "How are things?"

Derek raises a brow. "Things are good. I thought we already had this conversation."

His dad rolls his eyes. "I'm not asking about work and everything else. I mean, have you thought about what we talked about last?" Derek groans.

"First, Casey, now you."

"Casey talked about marriage?"

He's quick to backtrack. "Not about _us_ getting married, just about wanting to get married. Look, dad, I don't know. We're in a good place. She freaked out at the thought of me moving into her house."

"You're moving in with Casey?" George's eyes light up.

"No— yes— I don't know, maybe?"

"Well, which is it?"

"I don't know. I mentioned it last night, and I think it's a good idea, but she kind of freaked out about it."

"You guys have known each other for a long time, and you have a kid it's natural to skip some steps that seem a little traditional for other couples."

"We're not a couple, dad. I meant like, move in as a roommate."

"So, you're not dating?"

"No, dad."

George scratched his chin, "but you want to move in."

"Yes." Derek really didn't want to be having this conversation with his dad. He's hardly come to terms with what he wants with Casey as it is. He certainly hasn't made it clear to Casey what he wants (and has no intention of doing so, seeing as the thought hasn't crossed her mind), so why does he have to discuss it with his dad of all people?

"Together. As roommates."

Exasperated, Derek nods. "Yes."

"That does seem to be skipping a few too many steps. You should at least start dating again."

"Dad!" Derek threw his hands up in the air, climbing from his beloved recliner. "Never mind."

"You know you want to," he called after his son as Derek ran into the kitchen. Food would make this nightmare better.

"He's right you know," Marti says when he enters the kitchen. She's sitting on the kitchen island, eating from a jar of peanut butter with a spoon. Derek rolls his eyes, heading for the fridge. "Start dating, _then_ move in. Then again, everything is different when it comes to Casey. Maybe moving in together will get you to dating."

"Casey doesn't want to date me," Derek says, his face now deep in the fridge. "She made that very clear."

"Did she? Or did you only hear what you thought she was saying?" Derek replays the conversation in his head again. He shrugs. "What did she say, exactly.

"That me moving in would make it hard for her to find someone to marry and have more kids with."

"Unless she could find a guy willing to overlook that. Like, maybe the guy living with her?"

"She was not asking me to confess my love for her," Marti says nothing, so Derek pulled himself from the fridge to look at her, pulling out a pack of string cheese with him. She has a strange look on her face. "What?"

"You still love her?"

"What? I didn't say that." Derek laughs, making a weird wheezing sound.

"So you don't?"

"Well, I— it's not—"

"You do!" She sets aside her peanut butter, slides from the counter, and tackles Derek in another hug. "Oh, I knew it. Don't worry, big brother. We'll figure this out."

"Great," Derek says, dryly. He feels nauseous all of a sudden.


	11. Chapter 11

Casey and Serenity are sitting at the same kitchen table Casey had spent the better part of her adolescence. The pair are sharing colored pencils as they each color a page from Serenity's coloring book. When her daughter sighs, rather heavily, Casey eyes her. "Want to talk about it?" She asks lightly.

They have the house to themselves, more or less, as the rest of the family are scattered about. It's a good enough time to talk about what is on her mind. Serenity shrugs, staring intently at her picture. "Serenity," Casey prompts a second time.

The young girl sighs again. She sets her brown colored pencil down and turns to her mother with sad, brown eyes. It strikes Casey, as it so often does, how much those eyes look like her father's. "I was talking to Deeana," her best friend since moving, "and she says that daddy isn't my real dad."

Casey arches a brow, irritated. What business was it of Deeana's whether or not Derek was Serenity's dad. Mostly she hated that some other child was making Serenity feel bad, partly due to their unconventional relationship. "Why did she say that?"

"She says that her mommy says that parents should be married and live together, and he can't be my real dad because you and he aren't married and he doesn't live with us."

Casey suddenly regrets bringing this up, and she has a few choice words for Deeana's mother. This is not a conversation she wants to have where lurking ears might pick it up. Although Lizzie and Edwin might have outgrown that phase, something about all the McDonald-Venturis being under the same roof had them all reverting back to old habits. She lowers her voice. "Honey, not everyone has a mommy and daddy who live together or who are married. It doesn't always work out that way, but it doesn't mean that your dad isn't your real daddy just because we don't share a roof."

"But Deeana gets to see her daddy every day, and I don't."

Casey feels her heart breaking. "I know, and I know it would be even better to see daddy every single day instead of most days, but daddy and mommy..." She pauses. How does she explain to her nine-year-old that their relationship isn't like it used to be? "We both love you very much, but..." Again, she trails off.

"You get along really well," Serenity points out. "Don't you love daddy?"

"Of course I do," Casey says without really thinking about it. She bites her lip, lowering her voice further. She really doesn't need anyone overhearing this conversation. "But it's been a long time since daddy was in love with mommy. Things are different right now."

"But everything is better when daddy spends the night, or when we spend the night with daddy."

Frustrated, Casey closes her eyes. When she looks back at up, she can see Marti standing by the pocket doors to the kitchen, and Casey just knows that she's overheard everything. Serenity has turned back to her paper, staring at it morosely. "I'll talk to daddy, and see if we can't make things a little better," she whispers to Serenity. Her daughter nods and Casey kisses the top of her head. Without looking back at Marti, Casey heads up the stairs, desperate to get away from her stepsister.

She runs into Derek on the landing, and he has to reach out to steady her. "Careful Klutzilla," he remarks, moving to step by her.

"Derek," she mutters irritably. He chuckles, and she finds herself smiling. "I've been thinking."

"And that's news?"

She reaches to swat him, and he catches her hand. He doesn't let it go right away, and Casey feels warm. "I've been thinking," she starts again. "About last night."

"Oh?" She can feel the nervous twitch in his hand.

"Yeah, and I don't know. Maybe you're right, and maybe I shouldn't worry so much about figuring out the future and just deal with... right now, and right now Serenity needs you home."

The smile he gives her is worth the anticipated heartache, the inevitable pranks, and all that is sure to follow. "You mean that."

It feels right to say it. As Serenity's mother, she should be thinking about what Serenity needs, not about what she wants out of her life. "Yeah, I mean it." Derek's grin widens, and he pulls her in for a tight, but brief hug before loping down the stairs.

…

A few hours later, Casey happens upon Marti, Lizzie, Edwin, and Serenity playing a game of Monopoly.

"That's what you get for not striking a deal with me sooner," Lizzie says, gleefully.

"Who is winning?" Casey asks. Serenity won't meet her eyes.

"Lizzie," Edwin grumbles as he hands over a wad of cash. Games like these tend to become a McDonald-Venturi sparring match, so Casey quickly extricates herself from the room with a mild 'have fun.'

As Casey reaches the top of the stairs, she swears she hears Marti whisper "Phase one is complete," and she wonders if they're talking about the game, or if they'd moved from whispered conversations in the game closet to whispered conversations pretending to play a game. Had Lizzie and Edwin gotten better at this? She wasn't too concerned, only worried about what they had roped her daughter in; something about the way Serenity wouldn't meet her eyes had Casey leaning toward the idea the game of Monopoly was a cover.

Then she hears Marti demand two hundred for passing go, and Casey thinks that they've never been that good.

…

The next day, after breakfast, George asks the group at large if they'd like to go see a movie in the afternoon or early evening. Casey shrugs, "Derek and I are supposed to help Emily pick out a birthday present for her mom, but we can meet everyone there?"

Emily had called out of the blue the night before demanding that her two high school friends help her make a decision. She'd been adamant that they both go. Casey, because she has taste, and Derek because he'll tell her if she honestly picks a terrible gift. They'd invited Serenity along, but she'd declined, saying that Grandma and Aunt Marti were taking her for a pedicure.

"That works," George says, turning to the rest of the gathered group. He got varying enthusiastic responses.

Casey, checking her watch, stands from the table and kisses her daughter's head. "Derek, we have to get going." He grunts, but shovels the last of his breakfast in his mouth. To George, she says, "Just let us know what movie you agree on, and we'll meet you at the theater by the mall." He gives her a thumbs-up, and twenty minutes later, she's ushered Derek out of the house with minimal complaints.

It's not until they're in the car, that Derek catches up. "We're going to a movie."

"Yes," Casey informs him, patiently, "with the rest of the family."

"Right," he says, nodding.

They meet with Emily at the mall, and she proceeds to take them on a tour of every store the mall has to offer. Sometime between the Disney store ("Em, I don't think your mom really needs anything from the Disney Store") and the video game store ("You should buy your mom Babe Raider VI, and let me borrow it"), George texts Casey and Derek with the movie and the time. It doesn't seem kid-appropriate, though something that both she and Derek wanted to see. Before she can mention it, though, he follows up that he and Nora will be taking Serenity to see something different and it's just too hard to get everyone to agree to a movie. She pries Derek away from some magazine long enough to let him know what movie they're watching.

"That might be a bit mature for Serenity," he says automatically. It makes her smile.

"Yeah," Casey agrees, trying to wipe the look from her face. "Mom and George are taking her to see something else. It's just going to be the siblings and us." Which was nice, too. It had been a while since they all did anything together.

They finally settle on a gift for Emily's mom (a pair of earrings that Emily had looked at when they first arrived), and they say their goodbyes. "Come on," Casey says, dragging Derek by the sleeve. She's powerwalking to the theater. "We're going to be late, and we still need to buy tickets."

Once they had purchased their tickets, they stood outside the theater, Casey tapping her foot impatiently.

"Relax, Case. It's just a movie."

"I don't like missing the beginning."

Derek sighs. "Call someone and see where they're at."

So she does. "Hello?" Lizzie answers in a whisper.

"Where are you?"

"In the theater," Lizzie says like it's obvious.

"Did you save seats for Derek and me?"

"Of course," she says, sounding insulted.

"Okay." Casey gestures for Derek to go inside. "Meet you inside."

"Near the top," Lizzie says before clicking off.

Inside, Derek and Casey walk all the way to the top and examine each and every row. There's no sign of her sister. Irritated, she pulls out her phone to text her sister, but Derek rolls his eyes, and it's his turn to drag her. "Just sit down and watch the movie. We'll figure it out later. They're at least together."

* * *

**a/n: sorry for the wait!**


	12. Chapter 12

"What did you think?" Derek asks as they walk out of the theater.

Casey shrugs, tapping her hands on her thigh. "It was alright." Honestly, she can't really recall anyone part of the movie to say for sure whether or not she liked it. The entire time, she was distracted by Derek next to her. At some point, his knee had touched hers, and he'd left it there. It happened right after the opening credits. After that, the only thing she could concentrate on was Derek. All she thought about throughout the movie was him moving in, the fact that such a simple touch was driving her crazy, and what it meant for them.

Derek laughs, bumping her shoulder with his. "You hated it."

"I didn't hate it," she argues, for the sake of arguing. Derek doesn't know _everything_ about her. He can't read her _just like that_.

"You hated it. You kept fidgeting the entire time. If you liked it, it would have held your interest." Derek shrugs. "Instead, you let your mind wander to whatever is bothering you."

Then again, maybe he can.

She leads the way out of the building to where they parked. "That doesn't mean I hate it. It just means that I didn't enjoy it. Totally different."

The conversation pauses as they scuffle over who gets to drive. Derek makes a triumphant noise as he dangles the keys over his head. "To the passenger side with you," he declares, shooing her to the other side of the car. Climbing into the car, Casey makes a face at him, and he laughs. It does absolutely nothing to her heart. That weird flip flop feeling? It's a medical condition. Ask her doctor.

It isn't until Derek starts up the car that Casey realizes. She grabs Derek's arm. "The kids."

He snorts, shaking her arm off. "Case, clearly we got the theaters mixed up. They went somewhere else."

She bites her lip, dialing Lizzie's phone. It takes a minute, but then the youngest McDonald answers, "Hey, where are you two?"

"The parking lot. We'll meet you in front of the mall."

There's a beat before Lizzie, confused, says, "The mall? We went to the theater near the house."

Something in her tone has Casey making a face. Something is off, she can't place it. Thankfully, she knows that Serenity and Simon are with their parents, so whatever Lizzie, Marti, and Edwin are up to, it doesn't involve the younger kids. "Well, since this was supposed to be a sibling thing, sans Simon, why don't we meet up for dinner? The five of us." It would be good to get some time together. As much as Casey loves Simon, she hardly ever got to see Lizzie and Edwin when they went off to college. It had been a really long time since the five of them did anything together since she and Derek had only recently rekindled their friendship.

"Let me consult," Lizzie says before covering the speaker. Casey can only hear muffled voices on the other end. While she waits, Casey fills Derek in on the movie mix up.

"I told you," he mutters, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward home. She swats his arm, and he laughs.

"Casey," Lizzie says, sounding mildly annoyed. Casey wonders how many times her sister tried to get her attention.

"So, dinner?"

"Maybe not tonight. We've all got plans, but how about the five of us go out to breakfast tomorrow."

It's a little disappointing, but it was a very last-minute suggestion. "Sounds like a plan," Casey says.

"Listen, I think Mom and George are taking the kids to get dinner, so you and Derek should still probably go eat something. I doubt there are any edible leftovers in the fridge."

Casey looks over at her companion, who is idly drumming the steering wheel. "Derek will eat anything, edible or not."

"Incorrect, my body is a temple."

"Says the man who ate almost an entire large pizza."

Derek shrugs, unapologetic. "It was edible pizza."

Lizzie snorts on the other line, and Casey guiltily shifts her attention back to her sister. "I guess we're going to dinner. We'll see you later?"

"Sure thing." They say their goodbyes, and then Casey turns to Derek.

"Lizzie says there isn't any food at home."

"A travesty."

Casey ignores him. "They all have plans. Mom and George are taking Serenity and Simon to get food, so it's just you and me for dinner." Derek glances over at her, and he laughs. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Case. Let it go."

She pouts. "You're laughing."

Sighing, Derek glances over at her again. "I'll tell you later."

"Why not tell me now?"

He shrugs, "because you won't find it funny now. You might find it funny later. Also, because it's going to bug you, and that's always fun."

Casey crosses her arms, pouting in her seat. "I bet there's not even anything funny. I bet you're just saying that to get under my skin."

Grinning, he shrugs again. "Guess you'll have to wait and see. Now, stop pouting. Tell me what you want to eat."

"Smelly Nelly's?" Derek makes a face, and she huffs. "Well, you told me to pick."

He quirks a brow at her, "you can have anything, and you choose the most average food available to you?"

"Well... It was the first thing that came to mind!"

He shakes his head, "Casey, Casey, Casey."

"Do not triple Casey me."

"Too late, I already did." He makes a turn, a detour from their route home.

"Where are you going?"

"To get dinner."

"But that's not-"

He interrupts her quickly, "we are _not_ going to Smelly Nelly's. I know a place."

* * *

The place turns out to be a little out of the way Italian restaurant. It looks like a total hole-in-the-wall type place. When they walk inside, though, it smells incredible, and Casey is practically salivating. "I never knew about this place," she complains.

Derek shrugs, hand on Casey's back as he guides her to one side of the booth before dropping in across from her. "I never told you about it. I never told anyone, really."

"How come?"

"Sometimes, I liked to eat here by myself. Every now and then, I liked my space, I wanted to be alone."

Casey could see that. In high school, even in college, Derek was always surrounded by people. He liked the attention, thrived on the popularity. Still, once she had gotten to know him, Casey could tell that it also exhausted him. It didn't help to have three women thrust into his house, his sanctuary. The way Derek and Casey had argued, she was sure that home was no longer a place he could just be alone. "The food is good?"

"The best," Derek promises.

* * *

"I can't move," Casey complains as she pokes at their cheesecake with her fork.

Derek tugs the plate closer to his side of the table. "Then leave the dessert alone."

"No," she says, petulant and pulling the cheesecake back to the middle.

Laughing, he tugs it back. "You're full."

"That lasagna was so good. Oh, and the bread. Everything was so good." She snags another bite of cheesecake, blinking when she realizes that Derek is smiling at her. "What?"

He ducks his head, scooping up a bite of cheesecake. "Nothing."

Feeling self-conscious, she tucks some hair behind her ear. "You were staring." Grabbing a napkin, she wipes at her face. "Do I have something-"

Derek cuts her off, tugging the napkin away. "There's nothing on your face. I wasn't making fun of you." She squints at him, and he sighs. "I was just thinking that it's nice seeing you happy and relaxed. I know you've been stressed about work lately, and so..." he trails off, shrugging. She blinks, and he avoids her gaze. "It's not a big deal, Case."

She drops her eyes, turning her fork in her hands. "Yeah, no. Of course." It's hard to say why she suddenly feels weird like she can't breathe. Only, the last time he looked at her like that, they were in college in the middle of the date.

This was most definitely not a date. They went to a movie and, sure, it was just the two of them, but they were supposed to meet up with their siblings. Dinner, too, was not a date even if it was mildly date-like. Casey and Derek were sharing dessert because she was too full to eat one on her own. Dinner was a necessity. It wasn't... they weren't...

"Casey," Derek's looking at her concerned, interrupting her thoughts, and Casey can hear someone hyperventilating. It takes a second, but then she realizes that it's her making that noise.

"Bathroom?" She wheezes. It's clear that Derek is concerned, but she can't worry about that right now. He points the way to the bathroom, and she darts off.

In the bathroom, she fumbles with her phone, dialing her mom's number. "Casey, how was the movie?"

"Mom," Casey breathes out, steadying herself on the sink. "Remember when we were talking about the house?"

"The house?"

"The house," Casey insists, impatient. "The one I was going to buy? You said that Derek was going to love having Serenity close by, and I asked if you thought he felt that way, even if it meant having me close by as well?"

"I remember," Nora says, slow. "Just... one moment." Casey drums her fingers on the countertop, staring at her reflection. Why do her eyes look so wild? "Okay," Nora says a moment later. There's significantly less noise in the background. "So, what about the house?"

"It's not about the house, mom," Casey rolls her eyes.

"Okay," Nora says, patient, "what is it about?"

"When I asked you about Derek being thrilled, you said you weren't going to dignify that with a response."

"I did."

"What did you mean by that?" Nora is silent for so long that, for a moment, Casey thinks she might have hung up, or the call might have dropped. "Mom?"

"I'm not sure how to respond here, Case."

"With the truth?"

"I'm not sure you're ready for the truth."

Casey heaves a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You gave me an out, and I took it. You told me if I wanted you to be honest, then to keep pushing. So, I'm here, and I'm pushing."

"Did something happen?"

"Mom," Casey pleads.

"Alright." There's a long sigh on the other end. "I don't think either you or Derek ever got over one another. There's a reason it was so painful for him to hear us mention you and vice versa. It wasn't because either of you was angry, although that was part of it. You two were in love, and it was an incredibly painful breakup. You never got closure, and I know how you love closure." She pauses for a moment. When Casey doesn't say anything, Nora continues. "I think that Derek is just as thrilled to have you close by because he never stopped loving you, and I don't think you ever stopped loving him."

"But-"

"I'm not saying you need to do anything with this information, and I'm not saying that just because you may love each other that it fixes all your problems. I think you were willfully blind to the fact that Derek still loves you because you don't want to get hurt again. You were very possibly in denial about your own feelings. Which is why I gave you an out that day, and why you took it."

"I have always been painfully self-aware," Casey argues, weakly.

"For the most part, yes, but you've always had a bit of a blind spot when it comes to Derek."

Casey considers this for a moment. Just as she's about to say something, there's a knock on the bathroom door. "Casey, are you okay?"

"I've got to go," she murmurs to her mom, hanging up before Nora can say anything.

"Did you overeat?" Derek calls, knocking again.

Casey laughs a little, pulling open the door. "No, I'm fine. Why?"

He shrugs, leaning on the doorway. "I don't know. You ran for the bathroom, eyes wide. I thought you were going to lose your dinner."

She shakes her head. "Nope. It's all still here," she pats her stomach, groaning internally.

He grins a little, nodding his head toward the door. "I already paid, so if you want to head out, we can."

"Sure."

* * *

The ride home is a quiet one. Casey is stuck in her thoughts, and Derek doesn't offer up anything. She can't still be in love with him. It's been eight years. It's just... nostalgia. Objectively, Casey can admit that he's attractive and there's always been a bit of a... well, spark between them. That doesn't mean it's love. It's chemistry, physical attraction. Hormones. Absolutely not love.

At some point, Casey glances over at Derek. He catches her looking, glancing back over and smiling. Her heart does a somersault in her chest. She really needs to find a doctor to diagnose her.

It can't be love.

* * *

"It's not going to fit," Casey huffs, frustrated. She runs her fingers through her hair, feeling it all tangled from the afternoon's exertions.

Derek rolls his eyes at her, grunting as he tries again. "If you would just cooperate."

"I _am_ cooperating. I told you this wouldn't work from the beginning."

Serenity stares at them both, tilting her head. "What if you tried putting it in sideways instead of upright?"

Derek and Casey look at their daughter, look at each other, and then at Derek's couch that they were trying to get through the front door. Leaning on the wall nearby, Sam nods, "At least to get it through the doorway."

"You should have let me hire movers," Casey complains from where she's standing by Serenity, supervising this mess. It was okay that they were replacing her furniture with some of his. The problem was Derek had insisted that he, Sam, Ralph, and some of the other guys from the team could handle the move themselves. Never mind that if any of them gets injured from this endeavor, it could be awful.

"We can do it," Ralph insists. He's standing behind Derek, holding a box like it weighs nothing.

"And you're sure you're moving into the guest room?" Sam asks as he helps Derek maneuver the couch.

Wide-eyed, Casey interrupts, "Where else would he be sleeping?" She scoffs, nervous for no reason at all, "if he's living here, we can't really have him sleeping on the couch."

Sam mutters something under his breath. Serenity shrugs, "He could sleep in your room."

The sudden coughing fit that follows has nothing to do with what Serenity said, and everything to do with the fact that Casey had just taken a drink of water, and it went down the wrong pipe. Never mind that her water bottle is on the other side of the room. "I have to get back to typing up that motion," she says when she can finally breathe again. "Serenity, honey, why don't you go work on hanging up daddy's clothes in _his_ closet."

Serenity slides off her stool. "Okay."

Casey disappears into her home office, shutting the door firmly behind her. It wasn't until Monday evening when Derek was shoving rolls into his mouth and making Simon laugh that Casey realized her mom was right. She was in love with Derek. Leave it to him to be doing the most ridiculous thing when she had that moment.

It didn't mean her mom was right about Derek being in love with her. Even if she was, though, it didn't say anything should necessarily happen between the two of them. Love wasn't enough. There was a lot of hurt and a lot of mistakes that couldn't be undone. If Casey could go back and change things, she would have told Derek a lot sooner. She would have insisted that he still take the job and that they work on a long-distance relationship until she could find someone who would take her where he was at. Then again, if she had told him she was pregnant back then, there was no guarantee that they would have lasted then either.

She'd been thinking about this ever since they got back from Thanksgiving. It had made things a bit awkward with Derek, although he hadn't mentioned it. She was grateful. There was a lot of history to sort through, and she needed to figure out where she was mentally before she could even think about talking to Derek about this. They had Serenity to think about as well. As much as Serenity would love for her parents to be together, Casey and Derek needed to think about whether it really would be good for her. If they imploded like the last time, that could be more damaging on Serenity than if they kept the status quo. They couldn't afford to be selfish. _Casey_ couldn't afford to be selfish. She had to be sure about her feelings about Derek's feelings, and then they had to be sure that this was something they wanted.

Of course, she had to discover that she was in love with Derek after she had agreed to let him move in. It was going to be difficult having him around all the time.

In her office, Casey put her head in her hands, running her hands through her hair again. It was a mess. Her options were pine after Derek at a close distance, or risk losing him again and pine from afar. Casey was confident that no matter what happened, Derek would stay involved in Serenity's life, which meant he would always be involved in Casey's. They were at least on speaking terms right now, they got along. Their bickering was mostly for their amusement, not out of bitterness.

Every now and then, there was a taste of what could be. That's what has Casey so conflicted. There was a small chance that it could be terrific between them. There was a possibility that they could work through their issues, and recapture a better version of what they once had. It may not blow up in their faces, she may never have to suffer another Derek heartbreak again. It's just tempting enough that Casey can't decide how to move forward: lock up her feelings or find out how Derek feels on the matter and give them a chance.


	13. Chapter 13

"What do you mean, _nothing_?" Derek had to pull the phone from his ear as Marti's voice started to rise.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question without you yelling at me again," he admits, leaning on the kitchen counter.

He can practically see Marti pinching the bridge of her nose as she exhales, impatient. "By telling me that _nothing_ was a lie, and there is _something_." The line is silent for a full minute before Marti huffs. "Seriously, you've done nothing since moving in?"

"Well–"

"I mean, you have a lovely date – you're welcome, by the way – and then you move in together, and you've done _nothing? _I don't understand; I thought you love her."

"I do."

"_So tell her_."

Patient, Derek sighs. "It's not that simple." There's a pause, "and I'm not sure it really qualifies as a date seeing as she didn't know it was a date, and definitely didn't agree to it being a date."

"It was date-like."

"That doesn't mean–"

"If it walks like a date, and sounds like a date, and smells like a date..."

It's Derek's turn to let out a frustrated noise. "I don't want to mess this up."

"So, you're _brilliant_ plan in not messing everything up is to not do anything at all? Stick to the status quo with things never changing?" When she put it that way.

"You've been talking to Casey too much." Derek shakes his head even if she can't see it. "Stop being so dramatic. I intend to do something, okay? I just. It has to be right because it will either spook her or we'll flop again, and I don't think we can recover a second time." Derek doesn't know if _he_ can recover a second time. He's been down this road before. There wasn't as much at stake the first time around, but Derek is acutely aware of what could happen if he doesn't get it right this time.

Skeptical, Marti is quiet for a moment. "So, you do plan to do something, then?"

"Yes."

"Good, because then all of our hard work would have been wasted. So, what's the plan?"

Tapping idle fingers on the countertop, Derek winces. "Ah. I don't know yet."

Marti practically growls into the phone. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with both of you. Fine. But figure it out soon, or you'll miss your window of opportunity."

"Yes, ma'am." He's just glad that Marti can't see the mock salute he gives, although he's confident that she catches the sarcasm.

Later, when he's off the phone with Marti, he thinks about the situation. They've been back from Thanksgiving for a few weeks now, and nothing has really changed. Sometimes he catches Casey looking at him, a thoughtful expression on her face. Still, just as he's about to ask her about it, the expression shifts, and Derek wonders if maybe he imagined it.

The other problem that he forgets to mention to Marti is Casey's work schedule. As the only employee at her new solo firm, she was spending a lot of time at work. It was starting to take a toll on her. She needs an assistant, or a paralegal, or a college student looking to fill some volunteer hours.

Derek isn't entirely sure that offering himself up as a romantic option right now is the best thing. It certainly doesn't feel like the best timing. He was lying, sort of, when he told Marti that he hasn't done anything since their dinner and a movie night (not a date). He might have mentioned it, but Marti likely wouldn't find it of any consequence.

Casey, however, has appreciated the nights when he's prepared dinner, the way he's helped clean up in the house, and the way that he's helped out with picking up and dropping off Serenity. Granted, these are things a roommate and father should be doing, but Derek likes to think that Casey has seen the way he's grown up and matured. When it comes time for her to really consider the prospect of _Them_, he knows she'll take into account the fact that he can really be a partner with her.

Or so he hopes.

He checks the time on his phone, heading for the door. Its time to pick up Serenity from school.

* * *

Dinner tonight is pizza. It's not the healthiest of meals, but it was convenient. Between Serenity's ballet lessons, school, and helping her with homework, it doesn't leave Derek a lot of time to cook. He has limited skills in the kitchen, anyway, and they were starting to rotate through his limited menu rather quickly. It seems like a good night for pizza.

While they sit working on Serenity's English homework, Derek can't help but admire Casey. Even though it had been her choice, she had raised Serenity as a single parent. Casey had been the one to pick Serenity up from school and drop her off, get her to do her homework, help out with said homework, and cook her meals. Derek was sure that their parents helped out, some, but for the most part... it was just Casey. He could appreciate the work she'd had to put in as a parent. Serenity was smart. She was quick, too.

If Derek had been in her position, he wasn't sure he'd done as great of a job. He's not even a single parent now, and most nights, he's exhausted by being a parent.

(He wouldn't give it up for all the energy in the world, though).

She's tired when she gets home. Casey spots the pizza box, pulling down a paper plate to grab herself a slice. Part of Derek expects her to argue that pizza is not an appropriate dinner choice, but she doesn't. He's not sure if it's because she's too tired or because it was the first time he's ordered pizza since moving in.

Derek is sitting at the kitchen table, checking over Serenity's homework when Casey joins him, plate in hand. She sets it down, putting a hand to his shoulder as she leans to glance over the work as well. If it had been years ago, Derek might have thought she didn't trust him to look over it. As it is, he knows Casey better than that. It's the perfectionist in her. "Thanks for dinner," she says, rubbing at her eyes.

"Of course."

"I'm sorry I haven't been..." She shrugs, pausing for longer than usual. He wonders where her brain is at. "I'm sorry that I haven't been around much."

"No need to apologize, Case."

Her hand squeezes his shoulder. The action causes his heart to leap somewhere to the vicinity of his throat. "Maybe not," she sighs, "but I wanted to anyway. You've been doing... a lot lately, and I feel like maybe I'm taking advantage of having you around."

"I'm her dad. These are the things I'm supposed to be doing." He can't help the small note of bitterness that creeps into his voice without his permission. Her shoulders tense, and he does feel a little guilty about it, though. His tone softens as he continues, "I don't mind doing a little extra right now. For one, I know it won't always be like this, but you're starting a business, Casey. From scratch, with little help. It's going to be hard on you. I'm happy to help out around here." It's going to be a bit harder once the season starts, but they'll figure it out.

"I know you are. It doesn't mean it feels fair to me to leave you to do all of this, and I miss seeing Serenity."

"I know." His arm wraps around her waist, and Derek pulls her to him in a hug. "She understands."

Casey laughs, but it doesn't sound happy. "She's such a good kid, I think maybe I take advantage of that understanding, too."

"Why don't you go through a temp agency?" Derek suggests. "Hire someone who can come in and at least answer calls so you can give your attention to something other than answering the phone." She hums. Encouraged, he goes on. "Maybe even just part-time, if you're worried about spending money. And then, leave a little earlier in the day, come home to see Serenity for dinner and homework, and then go back to the office for a bit. It's your building, you can come and go as you please."

Casey straightens, and for a second, he worries that maybe he said something wrong, but when she peers down at him, she's smiling. "I forget how simple things can be in your world."

"Hey-"

She shakes her head. "I mean that as a good thing. It never occurred to me to leave and go back."

"I mean, you own the place. You're your own boss."

"I am, aren't I." The tension in her shoulder disappears. "I guess I just figured if I didn't finish what I wanted to do for the day, then I needed to stay until it was done."

"You're wearing yourself out."

"I know."

He squeezes her to him a little tighter for a moment. "You can still finish your list, and you're still going to get home a bit late, but at least this way, you can see Serenity for more than tucking her in goodnight." And as much as he doesn't mind helping out with everything, Casey is much better at helping out with the homework. Derek and Serenity will be better off in the long run if she's the one around to do homework.

Seeming to notice that they are semi-embracing, Casey clears her throat and steps away to return to her pizza.

His shoulder feels cold where her hand was.

* * *

Casey starts coming home in the evenings and leaving after Serenity has gone to bed. She's still tired, but Derek can tell some of the stress is gone. It was enough to be more present for Serenity, it seemed.

"I'm playing the long game," Derek defends himself to Marti when he finally tells her of the progress he's made.

Marti snorts. "Marrying Casey is not a game, Derek."

"Who said anything about marriage?" There's silence on the other line that Derek takes to mean 'you're not fooling me.' "Okay, fine, that is the end goal, yes."

"So do something about it."

"She's so busy and tired all the time, Marti."

She hums unapologetic. "I used to know this guy who was really good at making her relax when she needed to."

Frustrated, Derek runs his fingers through his hair and moves forward in the pick-up line. Serenity needs to hurry up and get in the car so he can be done with this conversation. "This is not Casey over preparing for an exam that she's going to do fine on. This is her livelihood."

"And she's going to crash and burn if she doesn't learn to take a break. I get that she's trying to start a business and that there's a lot at stake, Derek. I'm not a child anymore." He wants to tell her that she always will be in his eyes, but he knows that's not entirely true. "She still needs to take a breather. Nora is worried about her, you know."

He sighs, and it's partly relief because he can see Serenity approaching. "I'll think about it, but I have to go because Serenity is getting in the car." Derek really tries to keep this kind of conversation away from her. He doesn't want her to get her hopes up about something, just in case.

"Oh, let me say hi to her, really quick."

He considers just hanging up, but it's Smarti, so he relents. Serenity climbs into the car, beaming at him. It tugs at his heart, really, how much she looks like Casey right then. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, kid. Marti's on the Bluetooth."

"Hi, Aunt Marti."

"Hey! Talk some sense into your dad, okay?"

"You got it," Serenity calls over Derek's flustered noises. They end the call, and Derek glances at Serenity in the review. She smiles back at him, buckling her seatbelt. "Mom loves you," she says, casually.

Derek tries to think of something to say, but a horn sounds behind them. Right. The car line. He edges out of the line and heads out of the parking lot.

"She's just scared, you know, about getting hurt."

"Maybe you shouldn't spend so much time on the phone with Aunt Marti," Derek says, finally.

Serenity shrugs. "Okay, but mom is the one who said it."

* * *

**a/n: Many thanks to Debosmita for giving me the tiny nudge I needed to finish this chapter. :**


	14. Chapter 14

Derek does nothing with this information for two days. Partly because Casey had a new, but small, case come in and was busy. Partly because he isn't sure what to do with the bomb that Serenity dropped.

(It has _nothing_ to do with the fact that he's scared, contrary to what some people might say).

At first, Derek hadn't wanted to believe Serenity. Then, he thought maybe Casey had meant it in a platonic way. The problem was, they'd been down this road before in more ways than one. They'd done the whole denial, pretend they aren't in love thing. They'd also done the admit they were in love and give their relationship a try thing.

(So, maybe he's a little afraid after all).

"You've both grown and changed," Sam had told him, seeming unsurprised by Derek's confession. Sam (with some help from Serenity) convinced him that Casey meant 'love' in a romantic sense. "You're different people than you were back then. Well, different and the same. I doubt either of you will make the same mistakes."

So Derek had sat on that information. Casey's small case went to court this morning, so he's hoping she'll have some time to relax, breathe, and maybe talk.

Mostly he's hoping that she'll have a little time for him.

It's as he's preparing to go pick up Serenity from school that he remembers. She's going home with a friend for a Friday night sleepover. It would be just the two of them tonight. If he was looking for the perfect opportunity to talk to her, there wouldn't be a better one.

(Derek had a feeling there had been meddling behind his back to get Serenity out of the house. However, as he had no proof, he didn't know who to point fingers at. He had his suspicions).

The door opens early, revealing a smiling Casey. He met her in the living room, still worrying over what variation of 'love' she could have meant.

(And that was the trouble with the English language, wasn't it? The same word could mean too many different things. The Spanish had different words for platonic and romantic love, why couldn't they?)

"How did it go?"

"Fantastic!" She beamed, glancing around the living room. "The judge gave us everything we asked for, and issued sanctions against opposing counsel."

"That's great; I know they were giving you a hard time." The smile that tugs at the corners of his lips is fond and genuine. "Congratulations."

Casey brightens, shedding her coat and suit jacket. "Thanks. Where's Serenity?"

Never mind that, for a moment, he'd forgotten, Derek puffs up with pride. He _remembered_. "She's spending the night with Monica tonight," he reminded.

"That's _right_." She smacks her forehead, and for a moment, Derek feels guilty for the flash of triumph. She has a lot on her mind; it makes sense she might not remember right away.

When he looks at her again, there's a moment of panic in her eyes. Before he can really decipher it, the look is gone, and she slides past him to the kitchen. "I guess it's just you and me for dinner, then."

"I guess so." He follows after, mind turning. She opens the fridge. Reaching across, Derek nudges it closed. "_Or_."

"Or?"

"Or we could go out to dinner, celebrate your day in court, and all that?"

She considers, mulling something over in her head. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Giving him a strange look, Casey nods. "That's what I said."

* * *

An hour later, he's wearing nicer clothes than he would for a casual dinner out - they're celebrating, right? Casey looks beautiful in what she called an LBD (it took him twenty minutes to figure out it just meant Little Black Dress).

"You don't have to do this, you know," she tells him as they climb from his car.

"Nonsense. You deserve to celebrate."

"I know, it's just-" she trails off. Derek thinks it's the perfect time to explain why, but he doesn't.

(He isn't chickening out, he _isn't_; Derek is just waiting for the right time which will likely include a drink in his hand).

They get their table, and Derek pulls out her chair. He isn't quite sure why he does it; it wasn't even something he did when they were dating, but they're standing there, and his feet and arms just move. "Thanks?" She slides into the seat, pulling off her jacket.

"Have to keep you on your toes." Derek grins as he drops into his seat, picking up his menu.

She snorts a little, skimming over the menu herself. "Maybe a glass of wine." She's talking to herself, brows furrowed.

"You deserve it."

Blinking up at him, Casey smiles. "You think?"

"Yeah, we're celebrating, aren't we?" And he still needs a little alcohol in his system. Everyone has all but confirmed for him that Casey is interested. It shouldn't be this difficult.

(Except that Derek knows better than anyone how far Casey will swim down the River of Denial. If she's not ready to admit to herself, nothing he can say will change that until she's come to terms on her own).

Casey orders a glass of wine. After a moment of deliberation, Derek follows suit. He isn't a huge wine drinker, but this place has a good selection and the way she smiles at him when he places his order? Worth it, even if the wine sucks.

"So," she says after they've ordered their food, their menus no longer offering a point of focus. "Not that I don't appreciate this-" Derek quirks a brow at her, and Casey laughs. "What? I do."

"Whatever you're about to stay is going to make it sound like you don't," he guesses.

"I'm appreciative," Casey assures, reaching across the table to place her hand over his. His eyes zero in on the gesture before flicking back up to meet her eyes. Her cheeks are pink, and Derek can only hope. "Thank you for this. I know I've been a little manic, lately." He bites back a smile. Before returning her hand to her side of the table, Casey gives his hand a little swat.

"Lately?"

"I'm trying to say thank you, Derek."

"I'm not stopping you."

She rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. "Thank you for this, Derek. It's sw-" she cuts off, the grin widening. Once upon a time, he would have grimaced at her implying that he was doing anything sweet. "I appreciate it. It's been a little harder than I anticipated starting up on my own, and the fact that today went well and you're willing to celebrate with me. I- thank you."

For some reason, it's hard to swallow. Taking a sip of water, Derek nods. "You're welcome."

It's unclear when it happened, but sometime between when they reconnected, they'd learned to have a genuine conversation. One that included compliments and appreciation without Derek recoiling internally. He supposed, maybe, Sam had been onto something when he'd said they weren't the same people from back then.

"_Anyway_," Casey brings him back to the present. "So, not that I don't appreciate this, but-"

"There's always a but."

"Der_ek_."

Then again, some things stay the same. Derek's not mad at it. Grinning, he holds up his hands. "Sorry."

She huffs, trying to glare, but he can read the smile in her eyes. "_But_, it just seems like you have something on your mind." Their drinks arrive, and she avoids looking at him, picking up the glass. She swirls it around, and if he didn't know any better, he'd call her pretentious. Derek knows avoidance, though, when he sees it. She's nervous. It makes him nervous. "I know that this must have been hard on you, and I've been leaning heavily on you, so if you... I don't know."

"Casey." She looks up from her glass, and Derek offers her a small smile. "Instead of guessing whatever is on my mind and risking creating a miscommunication that we'll have to overcome, can we just have an honest conversation?"

She snorts, following it with a sip of wine. "Never thought I'd see the day where Derek Venturi would want to have an honest conversation." There's no heat behind the words, though. Her expression is fond; he remembers how she used to look at him when they'd finally gotten past the walls and denial. There's no doubt that it's fondness there. Derek just needs to figure out how deep it goes.

"Well, I'm not the same person I was in college."

"No," her expression is thoughtful as she eyes him. "No, you aren't."

"We've both grown up."

"I should hope so."

It's his turn to snort. "Do you want to know what's been on my mind or not?" Gesturing for him to continue, Casey leans back. Despite the nerves, there's a patience there that she hadn't had in her early twenties. "Some days, I'm still incredibly upset that I missed all that time with Serenity." She frowns a little. "I know why you did it, and I know that there's nothing we can do about it." They couldn't exactly go back in time and change the things they did or said. "I just... you should know that I'm working through that, and though sometimes it still stings, I forgive you."

She watches him, sipping her wine. He's not sure if Casey can tell that there's more, or if she's just not sure what else to say, but she sits in silence.

Derek takes a breath. "And in forgiving you, and moving forward with that, I've had to think a lot about our relationship. I've had to think about how I feel about you." The knuckles on her glass turn white as she grips it tighter, but he can't tell what that might mean. Her face has gone blank, impassive. Deciding that it's best to just plow forward, he goes on. "I love you, Casey." Her fingers relax on the glass before tightening again. He's not entirely sure what that means.

In for a penny, in for a pound. "I said this before, but I've loved you since we were seventeen." It certainly hadn't been love at first sight for either of them. Sure, he'd thought her pretty, but they had been two teenagers thrust into a situation neither of them wanted, fighting for dominance. "I loved you even when we weren't together. God, Case, I missed you. Having you back in my life? It's everything. _You're_ everything. And I love having Serenity; I love knowing her and being her father. But it's not just about Serenity. I- _we_ would have ended up here even without her because it's always going to be you."

She makes a small noise that Derek can't quite interpret. "Der_ek_." He's always loved how she broke his name, but something about the soft way she does it now, the way her breath catches in his name, hits differently. He wants nothing more than to rediscover the different ways he could get her to say his name.

"Case-"

Her hand goes up, cutting him off. She's shaking her head. "Derek, no. Don't, please don't." His stomach drops as her face twists into pain. "We can't do this again."

"Why not?" Because that wasn't an 'I don't feel the same way.' This argument is different yet familiar. When they were in college, it had been Derek who had confessed his feelings, trying to persuade Casey to do this with him. 'We can't do this' she had said, not 'I don't want to do this.'

(Casey has always chosen her words carefully, he couldn't help but read into the differences between "we can't" and "I don't want to," and he can't help but focus on the differences once again).

"Don't tell me you don't feel the same way," Derek insists, leaning forward. He can see the tears forming in her eyes. So, so familiar. She wants this, too, he hadn't been sure before, but now? Now he knows. For some reason, though, she's convinced herself that she can't have it. "Why can't we? Our parents already know, hell, I'm willing to bet they're hoping for this. Marti is, you know. So, it can't be about them. All of our worries about being together from before, they don't apply now. And I'm different than I was back then, you just said that yourself. I'm learning how to be a parent, I've been there for you and Serenity." Frustrated, his hand goes to his hair, pulling on the strands a little.

Over the last nine years, Derek must have learned patience, too, because he doesn't press when Casey doesn't immediately answer. Their food arrives, both of them staring at it like it might fill the silence. Finally, she blurts out, "Hedgehog's Dilemma."

It takes him a second to realize that the nonsense she's spewing is an answer to his question. "_What_?"

Now that she's found whatever it was she was looking for, Casey sits up, eyes alight as she nods emphatically, dinner ignored. "Hedgehog's Dilemma," she repeats. "Freud-"

"Was a bit of a wackadoo, if you ask me."

Casey narrows her eyes at him, and it eases a bit of the tension. "Derek, this is serious."

"Alright. Freud," he gestures for her to go on.

"Freud," she starts again, glaring at Derek to prevent him from interrupting again. "Used a parable by Schopenhauer to metaphorize the dilemma humans are faced with in their intimate relationships with others. The parable describes porcupines trying to huddle together for warmth on a cold day. Still, they keep pricking one another, so they spread out. However, because of the cold, they once again try to huddle together only to hurt one another again." Casey inhales, pausing to sip her wine before continuing. "Eventually, they figure out a distance where they can get moderate warmth, not enough, mind, but they're at least no longer pricking one another.

"Freud insisted that the closer we become to other people, the more deeply we hurt one another. The closer two beings come to one another in a relationship, the more likely it might be for them to inflict psychological pain on each other." Derek's brows furrow. Casey presses on, leaning forward. "We're just like porcupines or hedgehogs, Derek. The closer you and I get, the more likely we are to hurt one another."

"Bullshit."

Taken aback, Casey blinks at him, straightening. "What?"

It's Derek's turn to lean forward, gaze intense. "_Bullshit_, Casey." Of course, she would hide behind some crackpot's psychological idea. "That might be true for some people, but they're typically damaged, pricking others to prevent from being pricked themselves. Look at dad and Nora. That's an excuse because you're scared, and I get that."

"I'm not scared." His brows go up again, causing Casey to square her shoulders, defiant. "I'm _not_."

"You are. I know I am."

Casey relents, deflating. "For good reason. Look at what happened the last time we tried this, Derek. It blew up in our faces. You missed out on Serenity's life because of our actions. Our parents didn't have us in the same house for almost nine years. They didn't even know, and it affected everyone in our lives." Arms spread, fingers splayed, she shrugs. "It will affect Serenity, too. I wouldn't keep her from you, god not again, but if it doesn't work out, she'll be devastated. If we implode, we have to once again rework the way that we co-parent. Derek, it's. We _can't_."

"We've changed, Casey. We aren't going to make the same mistakes we did when we were in college. We were just kids. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but we didn't fail because we weren't right for one another. We failed because we didn't know how to communicate." Gesturing between the two of them, Derek's voice intensifies. "We're talking out. This started out similar to the last time we had this conversation." That pulls a smile from her. "But it's going differently, we're communicating."

"Derek, I'm scared."

"Hell, Case, so am I. I bet you were scared to start your own practice. Scared to be a single parent. I know you were scared to go to college. Just because you're scared doesn't mean you shouldn't try. I mean, everything you're laying out for me is a why not, you're not even looking at the reasons _why_." She scrunches her nose at him, an argument on the tip of her tongue. Derek can practically hear it. His words tumble out faster. "What if it goes well, what if this is when we are meant to last, what if this is the greatest thing we do, aside from creating a pretty cool kid?"

She's biting her bottom lip, but she isn't arguing with him. He takes this as a positive sign. "Every time you were scared before you did something, did you regret doing it? Did you regret going to college? Raising Serenity? Starting up this law firm here?"

"No."

"Don't let fear stop you from living your life."

It isn't the first time Derek has told her this. Casey tends to get so wrapped up in her own head and all the things that can go wrong, that she needs someone to be there, to remind her of all the things that can go right.

"If you don't love me, that's one thing, but if you do, then we owe it to ourselves to try. We owe it to _Serenity_ to try."

Toying with her bottom lip, Casey considers him. He can tell that she's on the cusp. Whatever decision she makes here, she's going to stick to it. That's one of the many things that Derek admires about her. She may be indecisive and take forever to weigh the pros and cons of a problem, but when she decides on something? That's it. The matter is done. He holds his breath, waiting for her to say something, waiting to see where he weighs in her mind: pro or con?

"Okay," Casey whispers.

"Okay?"

She laughs, then, face lighting up as she nods. "That's what I said."

* * *

**A/N:** **One more chapter to go! On that note, I'm looking for a beta reader. I have a bunch of half-baked ideas and projects that are half-started, not even counting the ones that I've posted or committed to redoing now that my writing has grown since the original post. Mostly, I think, I need someone to give me a kick in the butt and say "hey, you haven't worked on this, get cracking." So, if anyone is interested in playing that role, and just kind of looking over stuff before I post it, give me a shout.**


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